THREE Malaysians, believed to be members of an international counterfeit credit card syndicate, were charged with fraud at the Southport magistrate's court in Queensland on Monday.

The trio -- Fong Cheo Pow, 37, Liew Siew Ching, 34, and Lai Teck Sin, 43 -- were arrested on Jan 7 following an alleged attempt to buy an expensive handbag from a Louis Vuitton store in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, reported the New Straits Times on Thursday.

They and other members of the syndicate were believed to have used counterfeit credit cards to purchase A$1 million (S$990,000) worth of high-end goods before the trio were arrested at the Louis Vuitton store.

Seven others have also been picked up in recent operations and investigators have seized more than 200 blank credit cards bearing the names of several financial institutions.

Detective Superintendent Brian Hay of the Fraud and Corporate Crime Group said most of those picked up were Malaysians.

"Further charges are pending against the 10 suspects currently in custody and we are looking for the ringleader who is believed to be actively recruiting Malaysians."

Mr Hay said police raided houses in Fortitude Valley and on the Gold Coast, seizing over 100 counterfeit credit cards and forged identity documents. Police also found printers, scanners, embossing machines and laminating machines which were believed to have been used to produce counterfeit credit cards, leading Mr Hay to describe syndicate members as "sophisticated and well-organised".

"The group used machinery to produce the replica blank credit cards and then 'impregnated' them with the financial details of scammed individuals from around the world."