£1 million fraud at two petrol stations

• Scottish police crack credit card fraud
• Staff at stations bribed up to £15,000
• Stolen card details then sold around the world

Latest News

• MG gives local workers 15% discount
• Citroen launches recall website
• New Audi A3 vs Merc A-Class, Volvo V40
• Renault Alpine concept car leaked

Police in Scotland have cracked a £1 million credit card scam that has been linked to fund-raising for terrorist groups.

An estimated 5000 credit cards were copied at two petrol stations in Edinburgh, while attempts to steal details from customers at a third station in Kilmarnock were foiled.

The thieves operated by bribing employees at the petrol stations up to £15,000 to fit cloning equipment to card-reading equipment.

Detective Constable Mike Harris of Lothian and Borders specialist fraud unit said: 'You wouldn't notice anything and the staff wouldn't notice anything.

'Someone would come along, download this information and take it away, storing it as a computer programme and sending it on as an email attachment.

'Each card's details were then downloaded onto white plastic - there are websites that sell everything you need to make credit cards.'

Harris warned that the criminals usually withdrew money in small amounts to avoid detection, taking an average of £500 before the cards were blocked by banks.