Police bust fake credit card ring

NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have busted an alleged credit card manufacturing syndicate, arresting five people in the process.

The police raided a number of premises in NSW and Adelaide. At one location they found 1000 blank credit cards and partially finished credit cards, as well as a card printing machine.

The police will allege that the syndicate gained credit card details and then created fake credit cards to be used to buy things in NSW, Victoria and South Australia. The syndicate also allegedly created NSW driver's licences and Medicare cards, providing ID on a "to order" basis.

AFP national coordinator Identity Security Strike Teams Ben McQuillan said that the group wasn't the only one using identity information for such activities.

He urged Australians to keep their identity safe.

"Police urge the public to take steps to protect their personal information: keep your PIN number safe and secure, check your financial statements regularly and alert your financial institution if you see any anomalies," he said.

"It is common now for one criminal group to harvest identification information and sell it to other groups to use illegally," NSW Police Fraud Squad commander detective superintendent Col Dyson said.

According to an AAP report, the syndicate gained the identity information from telephone calls, false emails and skimming devices.

The bust came as the Australian Payments Clearing House released figures showing that the amount of money being lost on credit card fraud amounts is sinking, with the payment industry putting the decrease down to the introduction of chips into Australia.

However, debit cards were shown as a hot target for skimming.