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New Zealanders visiting Britain have been caught up in a massive British credit card scam.
British police recently busted a large counterfeit credit card operation in which fraudsters used electronic readers to capture credit card information when the card was used in ATMs.
The information was then uploaded and used to create a duplicate card.
Equipment needed to steal card information and manufacture counterfeit cards on a massive scale was discovered in a Birmingham factory, British media reported.
To date, British police had found "compromised chip and PIN terminals" at 30 retail outlets across the country.
More than 230,000 New Zealanders visit Britain each year.
ASB head of cards Rob Campbell told the Independent he had already cancelled a number of "at risk" credit cards as a precautionary measure after several instances of fraud were uncovered.
Mr Campbell said the bank would cover the amount fraudulently obtained but he declined to say how many customers were affected and how much money was involved.
The credit card counterfeit ring had been operating in Britain since March and any New Zealander who had used their Visa or Mastercard issued by any of the major banks in the ensuing three months was at risk, Mr Campbell said.
He urged all cardholders who had visited Britain since March to carefully monitor bank statements and to contact their bank if any transactions were suspicious.
The bank would reimburse all cases of fraud, Mr Campbell said.
BNZ head of fraud Mike Byrne said the bank was contacting customers who have recently travelled to Britain.
"BNZ is one of many banks internationally that has seen an increase in attempted fraudulent transactions on cards recently used in the UK," Mr Byrne said.
He urged all BNZ credit card users to use the bank's new "liquid encryption" security feature, which he claimed offered "instant protection against counterfeit fraud".
- NZPA
