Lae metro police crack down on card cloning syndicate
Police in Lae have uncovered a dangerous and well-organised card-cloning network after arresting several syndicates and seizing high-tech equipment used to steal money from bank accounts.
Lae Metropolitan Commander, Chief Superintendent Chris Kunyanban, confirmed that six suspects were arrested on January 21 and referred to the Fraud Squad. Investigations are ongoing.
He said many victims choose to report their losses to banks instead of police, meaning the true scale of the crime could be much higher.
“Many of the victims have gone back to their banks instead of reporting to police. If they had come to us, the number would have been much higher,” he said.
On February 3, another syndicate was arrested by the Sector Response Unit under the Lae Metropolitan Command. Police seized three vehicles, a laptop containing card-cloning software, a card-cloning machine, and several cloned bank cards, most of them believed to be BSP cards.
Chief Superintendent Kunyanban said the highest amount reported stolen so far is K50,000, followed by another case involving K40,000. He added that criminals are mainly targeting middle-income earners, and confirmed that one police officer also lost K5,000.
“We believe different syndicates are operating across the city. These are organised groups working together and may include networks involving a police officer, possibly a banker, or other insiders,” he said.
Police investigations have also revealed that many victims had lent their bank cards to so-called “dinau moni” moneylenders and shared their PIN numbers. This allows criminals to clone the cards and access victims’ accounts.
Police are urging the public never to share bank cards or PIN numbers and to report suspected fraud immediately.
He went on to state that police need the banks to liaise with them so that investigations can be completed thoroughly, stressing that there is currently no formal collaboration between the police and any banks.
“We are urging commercial banks to come forward and work with us, especially to help trace how these card-cloning machines are entering the country. This issue goes beyond the police, so I am also calling on other government agencies, such as PNG Customs, to tighten controls on illegal items coming into the country,” he said.
Chief Superintendent Kunyanban said foreigners were linked to card-cloning operations last year, but so far this year, Papua New Guineans are believed to be leading the crimes as investigations continue.
He said the methods used by the criminals will help police determine whether any bankers or police officers are involved in assisting the syndicates.
This follows reports from some victims who say they do not gamble, party, or lend out their bank cards, and have only used their cards at ATMs. This has raised concerns that some cards may have been cloned through ATM machines.
“There is no evidence at this stage that bankers or police officers are involved, so I cannot comment on that, but the possibility still stands,” he said.
Chief Superintendent Kunyanban commended his officers for working around the clock, saying their dedication and commitment have helped track down suspects in what he described as a complex and challenging investigation.