Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) says fraudsters have stolen around NZ$47,000 from customer bank accounts in an ATM skimming scam.
According to local press reports, BNZ has admitted that it has lost NZ$47,000 after ATM skimmers targeted its ATMs in Auckland.
BNZ says it has temporarily suspended the 1300 bank cards after a skimming device was found attached to an ATM in the New Lynn area of the city.
Furthermore, the bank says an inspection of its ATM network revealed evidence that a stand-alone machine situated in the Silverdale region of the city may also have been tampered with.
BNZ has asked customers to review recent transactions to ensure their accounts have not been compromised.
The bank says this is the first known skimming incident to have impacted New Zealand's 2300 ATM machines.
Other banks in Auckland have also contacted customers following news of the scam. The ASB has is reportedly notifying 160 customers of the scam and says two cardholders have already had between $3000 and $5000 taken from their accounts. Meanwhile, Westpac has said that 100 to 120 of its cardholders have been affected by the skimming scam.