Last update - 00:00 03/12/2006
Police arrest suspected members of credit card fraud ring
By Roni Singer-Heruti, Haaretz Correspondent
Suspected members of a drug ring involved also in fraud were brought before the Haifa Magistrate's Court for an extension of remand Sunday afternoon.
The 11 members are suspected of drug dealing-related offenses and a large-scale credit card fraud.
A Tel Aviv Police undercover agent, who collected evidence for five months, exposed the ring. The agent worked for the suspects selling drugs like ecstasy, cocaine and hashish.
During his undercover work, the agent learned also of people acquainted with the suspects who are involved in credit card fraud.
The man was then placed undercover among these suspects as well.
The sting revealed that over the past few years the suspects had obtained credit card details by hacking into Israeli shopping Internet sites. According to suspicion, the ring members then used the details to purchase electrical goods worth tens of thousands of shekels.
The ring employed an 18-year-old computer hacker to help them break into the Internet sites.
The ring members are also suspects of obtaining credit card details using electronic devices. A worker at a gas station in Ramat Gan is suspected of copying the credit card details of customers at the station.
A tour bus driver was caught with a similar device, and he is suspected of pulling out passengers' cards from their bags, copying their information, and placing them back in the bags.
According to suspicion, the driver and the gas station attendant received NIS 1,000 for every credit card they copied.