Police warn public against revealing pin numbers after well-dressed women get away with $15,000
She's smart, "not gullible" and runs her own shop, but a Whangarei businesswoman has become the latest victim of well-spoken con artists who have ripped off up to $15,000 from Northland shop workers.
The businesswoman, who does not want to be named, is urging others not to fall for the smooth-talking scammers.
They emptied her bank accounts of more than $6000 after getting the personal identification number to her bank card last Friday.
Police are warning people to never give pins to anyone over the telephone or internet.
They think two or three women may have pulled off the scam at least five times in Whangarei and Kerikeri, netting up to $15,000.
The Whangarei businesswoman said two well-spoken and well-dressed Maori women came into her store late last Friday afternoon and, although she didn't realise it at the time, one distracted her while the other went into a back room and stole her wallet and bank cards.
"They bought a few things, then left. About 30 minutes later, I got a call from somebody saying they were from my bank and wanting to validate a transfer from my account," she said.
"I said I hadn't organised anything like that so they asked for my card number. That's when I found out it had been stolen.
"The woman said it had obviously been stolen and the thieves were using it to spend my money. She said she would transfer me to somebody else in the bank who could cancel the card."
That woman then asked for - and was given - her pin, ostensibly so the card could be cancelled. But it was a classic scam.
"They were so plausible on the phone and sounded so official. I'm not a gullible person, but they were so convincing I didn't doubt them for a moment," she said.
It wasn't until she got home and checked on her internet banking that she found the thieves were still using the card after she thought she had cancelled it. She then contacted her bank, which did cancel the card, but not before two accounts had been cleaned out.
"I hope they are caught to stop others being ripped off like this," she said.
Constable Marion Evans from Whangarei said professional-sounding and convincing women had pulled off the scam at three Whangarei shops this month and possibly another two in Kerikeri last month.
"No bank will ask for a pin over the phone or the internet, so don't give it to anybody who asks, no matter how convincing they sound."
Ms Evans said anybody with information could ring (09) 430-4538.
HOW THEY DO IT
* One woman distracts the shop worker while another goes into the staff room and steals bank cards.
* The women later ring the worker saying they want to validate a transfer on their account.
* When the card-holder says they have not authorised any transfers, the caller asks for the bank card number (not the pin).
* The card-holder looks for the card, and realises it has been stolen.
* The woman on the phone then says she will transfer the card-holder to another bank worker who can cancel the card to prevent the thieves using it.
* The other "bank worker" then gets the pin from the card-holder "to cancel the card" and they spend up large.
- APN
