A man has been charged with theft and fraud offences after credit cards and blank credit cards were located following a search warrant in Unanderra yesterday.
About 6.40am (Tuesday 31 January 2023), officers attached to Lake Illawarra Police District's Proactive Crime Team attended a home on Carr Parade, Unanderra to conduct a Firearm Prohibitions Order compliance search.
Police spoke with the resident – a 32-year-old man – before he slammed the door. Officers forced entry and the man was arrested attempting to flee out a window.
A number of stolen and fraudulent credit cards were located in the lounge room and officers subsequently executed a search warrant at the home about 10.50am.
Police seized 27 credit and identification cards in other people's names, approximately 1500 blank credit cards, as well as items used to manufacture fake credit cards, including a card embosser stamp machine, a magnetic strip writer encoder, a digital card printer and a card label printer.
The man was taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station where he was charged with 13 offences,
- possess equipment etc make id info commit indictable offence (four counts),
- make, possess equipment etc to make false document,
- possess identity info to commit etc indictable offence (two counts),
- goods suspected stolen in/on premises (not motor vehicle) (five counts), and
- breach of bail
He was refused bail to appear in Wollongong Local Court today (Wednesday 1 February 2023).
Investigators are continuing to identify the owners of the property alleged to have been stolen.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.
