The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police has urged all the ATM card users to change their PIN at the earliest. The police issued the security alert after it was revealed that an international criminal ring was involved in stealing PIN numbers and passwords to take money from ATM booths in Nepal.

The CIB on Monday made public three Romanian fraudsters with equipment used for stealing the data. Romanian nationals Ghita Huzum (52), Iosif Moraru (48) and Alexe Cristian Bughiurlan (45) were arrested from Hotel Nepal Tara at Narsingh Chowk in Thamel on Friday.

Police recovered Rs308,500, Euro 10,905 and Philippine Peso 470 and a set of equipment including false ATM keypads, false card slots, debit cards, mobile phones and hidden camera sets from their possession.

“The criminals have already transmitted Nepal’s ATM pin codes to their international crime partners. Therefore, we advise the people to change their ATM PINs at the earliest,” said CIB chief DIG Nawaraj Silwal.

Police said the defrauders fix pinholes or hidden cameras to record PINs of ATM cards, fit duplicate card slots together with card reading devices at ATM booths, which save all the details of the users. With the help of card skimmers, they would copy all the details of the card to a blank slot and use the details to withdraw money. According to the CIB, there are 3.5 million ATM users in Nepal.

“The gang used to steal ATM PINs from foreign countries and withdraw cash from Nepal. But now they have started stealing Nepalis’ PINs to steal the money,” said DIG Silwal.