Police in Montreal have arrested nine people - including a bank call centre employee - that allegedly used rigged payment terminals to skim debit cards and steal customers' PINs.
The gang are thought to have stolen millions of dollars from 18,000 customer bank accounts. The criminals targeted convenience stores and petrol stations and bribed shop staff to install fake payment terminals which skimmed debit cards and recorded PINs.
According to local press reports the gang included a call centre employee who worked for a subcontractor to French bank Mouvements Desjardins and is alleged to have sold customer data to the fraudsters, such as dates of births which customers are required to enter when withdrawing cash at a Desjardins ATM.
Police seized computers, electronic equipment and cash in raids on properties in the Montreal area.