Police in Australia have arrested four men who allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from bank accounts in an ATM card skimming scam.
According to press reports, Sydney police arrested Bulgarian nationals Sotirov Svilen Marinov, 27, and Gueorgui Dinkov, 24, as they allegedly tried to retrieve skimming devices from targeted ATMs.
Two other men, Canadian nationals Christo Sotirov, 45, and Assen Dotchev, 22 were arrested in another part of the city.
Police says more than $100,000 cash was seized at a property in the Dee Why area of Sydney.
Detective Inspector Mark Rudolph told reporters that a large number of ATMs were fitted with a skimming device hidden behind a false fascia. The gang also attached small cameras to ATMs, or hid them nearby, to record customers' PINs.
The gang then used cloned cards and PINs to withdraw funds from bank accounts and are thought to have sent the stolen money to accounts in Canada and Bulgaria.
According to some reports, over A$800,000 was stolen from ANZ Bank accounts by the gang. ANZ has confirmed that funds have been stolen through an ATM scam but has not disclosed details. The total amount stolen from other banks is not yet known.
The gang have been charged with fraud offences that carry a maximum sentence of of 10 years in prison.