MANILA: Philippine customs officials on Sunday seized 571 components and devices used to commit card fraud at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
An unidentified Hong Kong resident attempted to smuggle the sophisticated electronic devices into the country through his checked-in baggage, the airport’s district collector Edgar Macabeo said.
The suspect had arrived in the Philippines from Hong Kong.
The devices were contained in three pieces of checked-in baggage and had been detected by acting examiner Rachelle Altiche and special agent Emmanuel Mondejar of NAIA Customs’ Arrival Operations Division.
The 571 skimming devices are a sophisticated way of stealing debit or credit card information,” Macabeo said adding that information accessed using this particular apparatus include card PINs and other personal information.
Macabeo said the Chinese national is now under the custody of Customs police and is facing charges for violation of the RA 8484 “Access Devices Regulation Act of 1998,” as well as failure to declare baggage contents and unlawful importation.
