Wallabies players foil gang of ATM thieves in London ahead of Test with England

[GAFFA]

WALLABIES players have foiled a gang of ATM thieves who were attempting to skim the cards of unsuspecting customers in one of London's most famous streets.

The brave and quick-thinking players warned people not to use the ATM after noticing a man acting suspiciously in High Street Kensington, just around the corner from Buckingham Palace and home of top-end nightclubs frequented by Princes Harry and William.

The suspect was blocking one machine and urging the queue of people - which included giant Wallabies trio Sekope Kepu, Sitaleki Timani and Tevita Kuridrani - to use another.

Kepu noticed the man and at least two other accomplices attempting to spy on the customers' pin numbers, and ushered the queue away.

The furious suspect confronted the Wallabies players but quickly came to his senses and bolted from the scene with his partners in crime.

Armed police officers arrived soon after and took a report from the Wallabies stars, and an investigation is ongoing.

The reluctant heroes did not wish to comment on the incident but their good deed was confirmed by a Wallabies spokesman when RUGBYGOLD learned about the encounter and sought further detail.

The team's hotel is on the same street and players have been cautious this week about their personal security.

A number of designer stores are situated along the High Street Kensington shopping precinct and it is a hot target for thieves targeting wealthy tourists.

The attempted scam is a familiar one; thieves use a skimming device stuck onto an ATM to replicate bank cards, and by spying the pin numbers can then duplicate the cards and withdraw cash from the customers' accounts.

This is not the first time Australian footballers have come face to face with criminals in Britain recently.

Just two weeks ago Kangaroos rugby league forward Josh Papalii was robbed in Manchester after a gang forced him to go to an ATM and withdraw cash.

While the Wallabies have few supporters in Britain, they may have picked up a handful more after their crime-fighting display.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby-g...-1226750671617

[PeterM]

The forward pack should have taken the gang of thieves down a side alley and given them an up close demonstration of a rolling maul

[palitu]

with the way our forwards are going, they would have lost...