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Card scammers strike again at petrol station
Marc Mullen
A HAMPSTEAD petrol station that has been at the centre of an international card cloning investigation for six months has had more problems with fraud.
Daniel Lee from Parkhill Road, Belsize Park, filled up with petrol at the BP garage on Haverstock Hill on Saturday.
When he checked his online bank account he discovered £1,700 had been taken out with his card on Sunday.
He said: "It was the first time I used that petrol station as it is not the cheapest but I really needed petrol.
"When I went to the bank to report the fraud the guy at the bank said he had been done at the same garage in February.
"A colleague at work said his girlfriend's card had been done for £3,000 after using the garage. Anyone who goes there seems to get done. It's crazy."
The problem first came to light in November when hundreds of Hampstead residents' cash and Visa cards were frozen because of an "unprecedented level of card cloning activity" in the area.
The problem was traced to the Haverstock Hill station and has since been linked to an international scam involving more than 100 garages around the country.
In December TV star Esther Rantzen, who is well known for championing consumer rights ,had her card defrauded at the garage.
She said: "This is now quite a widespread fraud with millions of pounds being stolen from credit cards, bank accounts and ultimately us the customers.
"Since it happened to me I haven't used that garage, but the reality is it is affecting many other garages too."
In December Haverstock Hill BP garage manager Kirit Patel received reams of paper with details of the dodgy credit card transactions from various banks.
The police asked him to investigate any links between the problem debits and the shift patterns of his staff, but he found none at all.
Mr Patel said: "We haven't heard of any further problems from the banks. The police haven't been in touch for two to three months. I am not aware of any further frauds. I thought the bank was investigating so I am surprised they haven't been in touch."
The Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime police unit is investigating the case.
A spokesman said: "This is an ongoing investigation and at the moment we do not have any updates."
marc.mullen@hamhigh.co.uk
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