Key men in EFTPOS card skimming ring held

Five "key members" of an international fraud syndicate have been charged following investigations into EFTPOS card skimming, police say.

Following months of investigations, police arrested five men on Sunday.

The men are allegedly key members of a syndicate and were involved in the coordination of the group's activities in Australia as well as Europe and North America, police say.

They include a 34-year-old man, a 33-year-old man and a 45-year-old man from Westmead, as well as a 34-year-old man from Strathfield and a 25 year-old man from Auburn.

The men are Malaysian and Sri Lankan Nationals, police said.

The 45-year-old man was charged with conspiracy to cheat and defraud, robbery and stealing from a person, dealing with identification information, possessing equipment to make identification documents, possessing false or misleading documents and participating in a criminal group.

All five men have been refused bail and will appear at Parramatta Local Court on Monday.

The arrests are part of ongoing investigations by Strike Force Wigg, which was established in June 2009 to investigate EFTPOS skimming in NSW.

EFTPOS card skimming is when someone illegally copies your account details from the magnetic strip on your credit or debit card when you use an ATM.

To date, 25 people have been charged and police have seized more than 50 stolen EFTPOS terminals, dozens of skimmers and in excess of 18,000 blank and counterfeit cards.

The public are reminded of the need to be vigilant when using their credit and debit cards, and when making EFTPOS transactions.

This includes always checking receipts to ensure transaction details are correct and regularly checking bank accounts for discrepancies.

Investigations under Strike Force Wigg are continuing, with more arrests expected, police said.

Anyone who has had their EFTPOS card skimmed is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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