25 October 2012

Concerted efforts catch card skimmers at the border
The latest prison term for attempting to smuggle illegal card skimming equipment into New Zealand sends a clear message to fraudsters that strong measures are in place to disrupt potential crime at the border and such activity will not be tolerated.

Last week a 27 year-old Bulgarian man, Yuliyan Kostanidov, was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment in the Manukau District Court. This is the third such case of an overseas visitor being prosecuted by Customs in the last few months.

Customs Manager Investigations, Shane Panettiere, said this year there have been a total of seven card skimming related imprisonments and numerous refusals of entry into New Zealand that are a direct result of Customs’ efforts.

“Disrupting crime, especially involving fraudulent activity against the New Zealand public, is a key priority for us. The technology needed for card skimming is sophisticated and often disguised within other equipment. But Customs officers know what to look for and are very successful at detecting it“, Mr Panettiere said.

Yuliyan Kostanidov arrived at Auckland International Airport from Singapore on 24 September, and a baggage search by Customs officers revealed several items known to be card skimming equipment.

A similar case this July saw a 48 year-old Polish man, Jaroslaw Pilat, receive a three month jail term for possession of skimming equipment.

Last month a 40 year old Romanian born Israeli, Nathan Rami Angel, was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for bringing 98 gift cards from Italy with magnetic strips holding bank card information.

“Our collaboration with NZ Police, Immigration NZ and, in this case, various financial institutions, contributed to our success in stopping potential fraudsters,” Mr Panettiere said.

Also in September, a 24 year old Latvian man arriving at Auckland International Airport was found in possession of 34 bottles of expensive fragrances and other duty free items. Customs officers established that he had used an invalid credit card to purchase duty free while aboard aircraft on various legs of his journey. He was subsequently refused entry into the country by Immigration NZ.

“Customs is committed to working alongside Immigration NZ, Police, and other organisations to detect this type of fraud and identify people coming to New Zealand with the intent to undertake criminal activity”, Mr Panettiere said.

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