A third person has been charged as part of an investigation into an elaborate $3.75 million international bank card-skimming scheme that led to thousands of Australians being defrauded.
Financial Crime Squad detectives said a 26-year-old woman had been charged with recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime of more than $5000 after she was arrested at a unit at Taren Point Road, Caringbah, on Friday.
The woman was granted conditional bail to appear at Sutherland Local Court on November 11.
Her arrest came a day after two men charged over their alleged role in the card-skimming scheme appeared in court.
Police said the men, who entered the country on false passports, are accused of being part of an organised crime syndicate based in Romania whose operations span four continents.
Alexandru Dida, 40, and Dinu Ionut Dinca, 43, allegedly installed card-skimming devices in ATMs across Sydney to steal money and create fake bank cards.
Police say the men travelled to Australia for the sole purpose of cloning debit cards so they could withdraw funds from local bank accounts.
Detectives arrested the men on Wednesday after searching a property at Wolli Creek in Sydney's south.
Officers allegedly found an active skimming device in the process of embedding almost 1500 blank credit cards that had the potential to hold more than $3.7 million in funds skimmed from ATMs.
Police also located a number of electronic devices allegedly containing a list of thousands of bank details with accompanying PINs, believed to belong to legitimate bank customers.
Police said the men were part of a sophisticated and extensive criminal group operating across the US, Europe and Asia.
A search at a second address in Wolli Creek found $50,000 in cash, electronics, passports, designer handbags, designer shoes and designer watches.
Dida was charged with nine offences, including knowingly directing the activities of a criminal group, dealing with identity information to commit an indictable offence, and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Dinca was charged with participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity, among other offences.
Both men were refused bail when they appeared in Sutherland Local Court on Thursday.
They are due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on November 21.
Investigations into the card-skimming scheme continue.
