Hundreds of fake credit cards and identities seized from a western Sydney home set up as a factory of fraud
A "FRAUD factory'' mass producing fake credit cards, Medicare cards and licences operating out of a western Sydney home has been uncovered.
A "FRAUD factory'' mass producing fake credit cards and identities operating out of western Sydney has been uncovered by NSW and Federal police.
The house in Riverwood had been specially set up to manufacture the cards.
"There were no normal trimmings of a home. It was set up purely as a factory,'' Detective Superintendent Peter Cotter head of the NSW Police Force's Serious Crime Director.
"There were embossing machines, laptops, scanners and plastic holograms found at the premises.''
Police arrested two men on Tuesday and they were charged with multiple counts of identity fraud after an eight-month investigation involving NSW and federal police.
Police allege the men were involved in the production of false documents, including driver's licences, Medicare cards and credit cards.
"This group was sophisticated in producing cards and other documents that were good-quality copies of legitimate documents," said Federal Police Sydney boss Ray Johnson.
The operation began in January when intelligence was gathered in a previous muti-million dollar identity fraud case.
Search warrants were executed at a number of locations on Tuesday, including a Riverwood premises where police will allege a 52-year-old Beverly Hills man manufactured the false documents.
A 47-year-old Burwood man was identified as sourcing the identification information and supplying the completed false identification documents to others. Both appeared in Burwood court yesterday and were refused bail to appear again next month.
A substantial amount of cash was also seized as well as high end goods allegedly bought with the false credit cards.