Police have charged five people in Sydney with being part of a "sophisticated" and technologically advanced international Eftpos skimming network.
The Malaysian and Sri Lankan men - three aged 34, 33 and 45 from Westmead, a 34-year-old man from Strathfield and a 25-year-old man from Auburn - were arrested yesterday after months of covert investigation, police said.
They were key players in an international criminal syndicate that spanned Australia, Europe and North America, police allege.
The commander of the fraud squad, Detective Superintendent Col Dyson, said the arrests disrupted the operations of the alleged criminal group significantly but the public should still be careful when using their bank and credit cards.
Investigators also found Eftpos terminals, PIN pad underlays, $10,000 cash, fake travel and other documents, Canadian credit cards, laptops and mobile phones after raiding three properties in Pendle Hill, Strathfield and Auburn yesterday.
Twenty-five people have been arrested since detectives started investigating Eftpos skimming activities in NSW in June 2009. Previous items found by police included more than 50 stolen Eftpos terminals, skimmers and more than 18,000 blank and counterfeit cards.
Eftpos skimming involves attaching electronic devices to ATM or Eftpos machines in order to record a person's card and PINs.
The men were charged with various offences including conspiracy to cheat and defraud, dealing with identification information, possessing equipment to make identification documents or things, participating in a criminal group, stealing and possessing false or misleading documents.
They were refused bail and will appear in Parramatta Local Court today.
Police tips on bank and credit card safety
* Always protect your PIN and change it regularly – never disclose your PIN to others.
* Always check your receipts to ensure transaction details are correct
* Regularly check your bank accounts for discrepancies and report any suspicious transactions to your financial institution.
* Merchants should maintain the security of their Eftpos terminals.
* Regularly check the integrity of their terminal to ensure it has not been compromised.
* Regularly check the serial number to ensure their terminal has not been covertly swapped.
Police appealed for anyone who believed they had been a victim of Eftpos card skimming to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.