Victoria's police department says that international crime syndicates have taken around $80 million from Australian bank accounts. The organized crime groups are said to have escaped with the money after bribing Australian shop workers in return for access to Eftpos terminals.

Terminals at up to 50 businesses in Victoria and more than 100 across Australia have been tampered with after syndicate members installed hidden cameras.

The police department says that the crime groups filmed people entering their identification numbers through cameras installed in ceilings of service stations and convenience stores.

The syndicates were also said to have paid attendants to be able to retrieve card numbers from ATM terminals. The information was then used to create new bank cards to withdraw cash from ATMs.

The Victoria police department says that it has allocated a large portion of its resources into investigating the scam. A national taskforce was set up to catch the perpetrators months ago.