Man charged for importing card skimmers

Australian Customs won a small victory in the fight against bank fraud, arresting a 23-year-old Chinese man arriving at Brisbane International Airport late last week who was allegedly carrying tools used to "skim" bank cards.

Customs' search of his bags last Thursday revealed he had computer discs, laptop, card encoder, ATM feeder-face unit, Superglue, adhesive tape and 31 blank ATM cards.

These were tools used to record the information stored on the black magnetic strips of credit and debit cards used in automatic teller machines.

Skimming defrauded and inconvenienced banks and their customers who had to replace compromised cards.

Meanwhile, users of ATMs in Mascot near Sydney airport should also be alert for strange transactions after a customer discovered such a device on a machine at Botany Road near Elizabeth Drive yesterday afternoon.

A "number of items were removed from the machine... for forensic examination", said NSW Police who established a crime scene at the spot.

A statement by the Australian Federal Police said the maximum penalty for importing card skimming devices was three years' prison.

"Consumers should keep a close eye on their credit cards and under no circumstances provide anyone with their pin number," the AFP said. "Consumers should also check monthly credit card statements carefully and report any irregularities to their financial institution as soon as possible."