Wolli Creek and Caringbah arrests into elaborate card skimming scheme

Strike Force Gwynellen was established by State Crime Command's Financial Crimes Squad earlier this year to investigate a transnational organised crime network hailing from Romania, believed to be involved in alleged card skimming throughout Sydney.

Following extensive inquiries, just before 5pm on Wednesday, September 27, detectives with assistance from the Public Order and Riot Squad executed a search warrant at Wolli Creek where they arrested two men, aged 40 and 43.

During the search, detectives found an active skimming device, allegedly in the process of embedding nearly 1500 blank credit cards, which have the potential to hold about $3712,500 worth of funds skimmed from ATMs.

Police also located a number of electronic devices allegedly containing a list of thousands of bank details with accompanying pin codes - believed to belong to legitimate banking customers.

A short time later, police searched a second address at Wolli Creek, where detectives located $50,000 cash, electronics, passports, designer handbags, designer shoes, and designer watches.

All the items were seized for further forensic examination.

The men were taken to St George Police Station, where the younger man was charged with nine offences, including knowingly directing activities of criminal group, dealing with identity info to commit etc indictable offence, three counts of knowingly deal with proceeds of crime, and three counts of making, possessing equipment to make a false document.

The older man was charged with participating in a criminal group and contributing to criminal activity, dealing with identity into committing an indictable offence, and three counts of making, possessing equipment to make a false document.

The men were refused bail to appear in Sutherland Local Court on September 28.

Police will allege the men were part of an Organised Crime Network hailing from Romania, who travelled to Australia for the purpose of cloning local debit cards so they could withdraw funds from people's bank accounts.

Investigators also arrested a woman, 26, on September 29 at about 12.30pm at a unit on Taren Point Road, Caringbah. She was taken to Sutherland Police Station and charged with recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime more than $5000. She was granted conditional bail to appear at Sutherland Local Court on November 11.

Financial Crimes Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Gordon Arbinja, credited the success of Strike Force Gwynellen to effective collaboration with other agencies.

"It's our job at the Financial Crime Squad to make sure anyone who thinks they can help themselves to other people's hard-earned cash is dealt with accordingly," he said. "We will continue to work alongside our counterparts at the AFP, United States Secret Service, and various international authorities, to ensure fraudsters know they aren't welcome in Australia."

Anyone with information that may assist investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au