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Fraudsters targeting payment terminals in the Perth, Australia, area have managed to steal approximately AU$150,000 (US$135,000 or 92,000 euros) from cardholders, a Perth police spokesperson tells CardLine Global. Police declined to release specific details about the fraud, which may be new to the western Australia region, according to press reports and an analyst. "It appears that the crooks were targeting [point-of-sale] terminals, as opposed to the usual tactic of targeting ATMs," Matthew Sinclair, executive director with Australia-based Carpadium Consulting, tells CardLine Global. "I have heard of skimming where the merchant was complicit, but this is the first time I have heard of an attempt to compromise a POS terminal without the knowledge of the merchant." Police estimate the fraud so far has affected some 2,500 accounts, though more losses are expected. Sinclair expects chip-and-PIN cards to reduce such fraud in the future. "With more and more EMV cards and terminals in the market, this is something that I would expect to see less and less of because they are far more difficult to compromise," he says.
