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Australia Hit by Debit, Credit Card Skimming
January 21, 2010

Clothing, fast food and convenience stores were hit by the attacks. (Reuters Photo) Clothing, fast food and convenience stores were hit by the attacks. (Reuters Photo)
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An international criminal group has reportedly stolen some $50 million Australian ($45.5 million US) from customers who swiped their credit or debit cards at retail checkouts.

The spate of attacks on the so-called EFTPOS machines that typically sit next to cash registers is "the biggest I've ever seen," New South Wales frad squad head Detective Superintendent Colin Dyson told the news site heraldsun.com.au.

Clothing, convenience and fast-food outlets, including McDonald's, in suburban Sydney and coastal cities in New South Wales have been targeted.

Dyson said police were seeking 50 persons of interest in "a particular part of Asia". He said six suspects had been arrested, but the crimes were still being committed.

The Australian Associated Press reported criminals were stealing the EFTPOS terminals and modifying them to copy the information stored on the magnetic strips of consumers' cards. That information was then used to remove money from the accounts.

Many victims' accounts show the withdrawals occurring overseas, police said.

Dyson urged Australians to change the PIN codes on their cards.
"There is sometimes a lag between PINs being compromised and used," he said. "If someone whose details are skimmed changes their PIN quickly, the data can be useless to the criminal."The news broke late on Wednesday, the same day at least a dozen bank customers in Bali reported money disappearing from their accounts in what is believed to be a wave of ATM machine scams. It is not clear whether the crimes are related.

Bank Indonesia has ordered all lenders to check their ATM machines for tampering and promised that victims of the scam would have their money refunded.

JG