$10,000 card spree
THIS Asian couple used fake credit cards to rip off at least 10 Cairns businesses in a $10,000-plus shopping spree, police say.
The pair bought liquor and gift vouchers during their three-day splurge at shops from Mt Sheridan to Smithfield last week.
Police suspect the young man and woman belong to an organised crime gang from Sydney and are linked to a similar scam on the Gold Coast where fraudsters racked up purchases totalling more than $70,000 using dodgy credit cards.
Cairns CIB Det Sen-Sgt Ed Kinbacher said the fraudsters were carrying at least 10 cards that had been illegally duplicated from legitimate cards, a process known as "skimming".
He said police were certain more shops had been scammed when the pair struck between Thursday and Saturday last week. "They have purchased high-value consumer goods from at least 10 businesses that we know of," Det Sen-Sgt Kinbacher said.
"We know there'd be a significant number more.
"Because we only know of a limited number of shops, we don't what else they've bought."
Det Sen-Sgt Kinbacher said the pair appeared to be part of an organised Asian crime gang that operated from Sydney.
They were most likely "shopping to order" for the syndicate which on-sold the goods nationally or internationally, he said.
"There is basically a statewide alert in regards to their scam," Det Sen-Sgt Kinbacher said. The fraudsters had downloaded stolen credit account details on to a blank card and embossed it to make it look authentic, he said.
"It's theirs to use until they max it out," Det Sen-Sgt Kinbacher said.
He said retailers should be suspicious if customers produced several credit cards to pay for items.
"The transactions are unusual and they stand out," he said.
Cairns detectives last year arrested an Asian woman and seized more than $80,000 worth of goods they alleged was linked to a national organised crime gang.
Anyone with information about the couple should call Cairns CIB on 4030 7153 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Wanted: Police say this Asian couple is responsible for a three-day citywide shopping spree using fake credit cards.
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