NSW Police charge six over EFTPOS skimming

Banking group welcomes arrests.

A NSW Police strike force set up to combat EFTPOS skimming has arrested and charged six people over the scams.

The news was welcomed by the chief executive of the Australian Bankers' Association David Bell.

"We are pleased that NSW Police have made some arrests and we are hoping they secure convictions for these crimes," Bell said.

Fraud squad detectives from Strike force Wigg said they were "working closely with interstate and international counterparts as part of their ongoing investigations".

The strike force was set up in June last year.

It warned members of the public today to continue to be mindful when using EFTPOS terminals "following recent incidents of card skimming offences".

Skimming is the unauthorised copying of information stored on the magnetic strip of debit and credit cards.

This information can be used by criminals to create a counterfeit card, which is then used for fraudulent transactions in retail outlets, on the Internet, or at ATMs, according to the Australian Bankers' Association (ABA).

Bell assured customers affected by skimming scams that they would not be left out-of-pocket if they were a victim of crime.

"When skimming is suspected, banks will conduct an investigation and funds are restored to customers - the innocent victims of this crime. In other words, the bank wears the loss," Bell said.

He said banks were helping authorities with their investigations.

"Banks take security seriously and have computer systems in place to constantly monitor transactions," Bell said.

"If a bank suspects fraudulent activity, customers cards' may be blocked to ensure fraudulent transactions cannot continue."

But he urged people to also report any suspicious transactions to their banks "as soon as possible".