SYDNEY -- Australian police are considering laws to crack down on thieves who use credit card technology to steal from ATMs.
NSW Police Minister Michael Costa said recent police investigations showed criminals were using card "skimming" to copy card information from ATM users.
"New technology means criminals are becoming more sophisticated," Costa said in a statement that appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald. "Police intelligence has revealed thieves are reprogramming credit card readers, which are easily obtained because they are legitimately used by most retailers to carry out credit card transactions."
Thieves used such a device to duplicate ATM cards and steal more than $100,000 (about $58,849 U.S.) from at least 100 St George Bank customers in Sydney last November.
Costa said criminals were also using machines hidden inside ATMs, which are difficult to detect, to carry out the scams.
"The law must keep pace with technology," he said.
The proposed new offenses are in addition to existing fraud, forgery and benefit by deception laws.
They would make it illegal to manufacture, repair, traffic or possess any device adapted for use in connection with forging or falsifying credit cards. Illegally possessing, using or trafficking in credit card data would also be an offense.
Both the new offenses would attract jail sentences of up to 10 years.
Costa said he aimed to introduce the legislation, which targets criminal gangs, as soon as possible.
