Estonian gang stealing millions: WA police

Three Estonian men, one of whom is just 18, have been charged by WA police with helping a crime gang steal millions from Australian bank accounts.

Three Estonian men have been charged in an investigation into a crime gang that has fleeced at least $3.5 million from Australian bank accounts.

Dozens of Australian individuals and businesses have complained when they noticed money missing from their accounts.

The crime syndicate had targeted young Estonians in Australia, sometimes through Facebook, WA police major fraud squad Detective Sergeant Andie Fagan told reporters.

The crime gangs allegedly hack into the accounts, then transfer the money to Australian accounts opened by the young Estonians.

They are ordered to immediately withdraw it before the victims notice the money missing and are instructed on how to transfer it to the criminal syndicate.

The young men were recruited with the lure of easy money but were now sitting in Perth's Hakea prison facing jail time, Det Sgt Fagan said.

"Once drawn in to the syndicate some of them have realised what they are doing is wrong but have then had threats and intimidation and there are allegations of threats to their families in Estonia as well."

Such global cyber crime was growing massively, Det Sgt Fagan said, and while banks were combating it the criminals also evolved their hacking methods quickly.

The arrests were part of a nationwide investigation that has included charging Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian nationals in other Australian states.

Those charged with various fraud offences in WA include three Estonian men, aged 23, 20 and 18, who will face court this month.