New York police broke ID theft circle

New York’s Police say they have changed an international self theft ring that utilized phony credit cards to purchase high-value computer items.

In excess of 86 people have been arrested and an additional 25 are wanted for their part in the scam which engaged five crime groups in New York.

Investigators said $13m (£8.3m) had been misplaced over a 16-month time.

Members of the group utilized the bogus cards to purchase largely Apple products across the US and live a life of comfort.

"These weren't holdups at gunpoint, but the shock on victims was the same," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. "They were robbed."

The two-year prosecution, dubbed Operation Swiper, unveiled that the US-based crime groups were associated to other gangs in Arica, Europe, the Middle East and eastern Asia.

"This is by far the biggest and surely amid the most stylish identity theft credit card deception cases any of us have ever seen," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

Bank cashiers, restaurant workers and other service employees working for the bunch of criminals stole card details from consumers utilizing a machine to "skim" private information from credit cards.

The data were then conceded to criminal technicians who would make falsify American Express, Visa and other branded credit cards. These would then be utilized by teams of "shoppers" who would purchase high-end computer accessories across the US to resell to crime organizations in China, Europe and the Middle East.

Police said they had captured a huge numbers of dollars in cash, $650,000-worth of stolen computer accessories, a number of pistols and a truck full of electronics, computers, designer shoes, watches and ID theft equipment.

Police Commissioner Kelly said the robbers had "outstanding information of how to use technology.

"The plans and the thoughts that is mounting these days are really astonishing," he said.