Cloned cards had been used to rack up spending of €1.1 million in more than 3,800 fraudulent transactions. The group had been impeded by the arrest of two of its members but the capture and arrest of the remaining five suspects should bring the record spending spree to a halt.
Portugal’s National Anti-Corruption Unit of the Judicial Police detained the final four men and one woman all of which are accused of cloning and credit card fraud, passing counterfeit currency, computer fraud and the falsification of documents.
The investigation began in June 2013 and established that the seven suspects have purchased goods and services worth € 1.1 million. They used 1,700 cloned credit cards, all issued by foreign banks.
The fake cards then were used on over 3,800 occasions causing distress and misery to the cardholders.
The police have now seized the equipment used by the group including the skimmer which copied the magnetic strips of cards, several false passports, mobile phones, and documents related to the purchases. The group was based in Loures to the north of Lisbon but their victims are located in expat areas of Portugal and abroad.
