A fraud syndicate used data stolen from more than 100 people to apply for credit cards, causing them losses of over HK$1 million, police said yesterday. They announced they had smashed the syndicate and arrested three people on Friday. Fraudsters were said to have used the cards to buy luxury goods and borrow cash. Last month, the Commercial Crime Bureau received tip-offs from banks about suspicious credit card applications. Investigators found a cross-border gang had been applying to local banks for cards using stolen personal data. Officers arrested two men, 34 and 35, and a woman, 23, in Tsuen Wan. They seized HK$200,000 in cash, three laptops, a scanner, printer, six credit cards, six identity documents, a small amount of illegal drugs and drug equipment. Police said a probe had found stolen data of more than 100 people but the actual number could be higher. Police appealed to the public to better guard their postboxes, especially those in buildings without security guards.