Alleged card skimmer faces court

A 36-year-old Romanian national has been extradited from Queensland to Sydney on ATM-skimming charges - the second such extradition from the state in as many months.

He was arrested at Southport in Queensland yesterday. It will be alleged he was attempting to leave the country on a chartered boat.

NSW Police successfully applied to extradite the man.

He was taken to Surry Hills Police Station in central Sydney and charged with two counts of making and possessing implements for making false instruments.

The charges related to alleged frauds in Hornsby on December 20, 2009 and Burwood on January 5, 2010.

He was refused bail and will appear at the Central Local Court today.

It was the latest in a string of robberies:

• Last week, NSW Police seized an ATM card skimming device in Sydney's inner west following a tip-off from a security guard.
• Last month, Victorian Police extradited a 31-year-old Malaysian man from Brisbane who was believed to be linked to a card skimming syndicate.
• NSW Police charged six people in January over a major eftpos terminal skimming scam in Sydney.
• Compromised EFTPOS devices in Perth last October reportedly netted criminals $150,000.
• Last March, thieves used ATM skimming devices to steal as much as $500,000 from a terminal in the Melbourne CBD.

A NSW Police spokesman told iTnews it had previously arrested "a number of Romanian nationals" in connection with alleged ATM skimming offences.

Investigations on these and other similar incidents were continuing via Strike Force Mail.