Three men have been charged over bank card skimming in Auckland after they allegedly placed fraudulent devices at hospital parking machines.
The charges are part of an investigation by Waitemata Police into skimming activity involving bank cards.
Police said it found a man using a skimmed card at an ATM in Glen Eden on October 22, and a 26-year-old man was arrested and charged as a result.
The following morning, search warrants were carried out at two Ranui properties. Two men aged 33 and 50 years old were charged.
All three men will appear in the Waitakere District Court.
Waitemata West area investigations manager Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Williams said the bank cards are allegedly linked to skimming devices used at parking machines in Auckland and Waikato hospitals earlier this year.
"In general, we advise people who use car parking sites to check the pay machine for any unusual devices or attachments in and around the card insert function, prior to inserting their cards," he said.
"We encourage the use of contactless and digital payment technology where applicable as alternative safe payment options.
"If people see anything unusual on the pay machine, do not use it and report to both car park management and to police."
Police added that a 37-year-old man was arrested in August following an investigation into alleged skimming activity at these parking machines. He is next scheduled to appear in the Auckland District Court in January on multiple fraud-related charges.
Enquiries are ongoing in the skimming investigation and police said it cannot rule out further charges.
