An employee at the United petrol station, located on Marion Road in West Richmond, was arrested last Friday on suspicion of skimming credit card numbers and personal data from station customers. According to police, this stolen data was then used to fraudulently obtain cash and merchandise.

Police believe the suspect may be connected with a larger crime syndicate. The skimming operation may have been in place for several months and hundreds of customers’ banking accounts, as well as thousands of dollars of fraudulently-obtained goods, may have been affected.

Police are requesting any member of the public with information to contact them, also anyone whose credit card or identity have been compromised.

This is the first such arrest in South Australia. The suspect was charged with theft and released on police bail to the Adelaide Magistrates Court in November.

With credit card fraud on the rise in Australia, police warn account holders to be cautious when allowing anyone else to handle their cards. Data skimming requires mere seconds to perform, and its prevention requires strict attention from the account holder whenever the card leaves his or her hand.

Source: News.com.au : United console operator arrested over credit card fraud