Japanese and other Asian airlines have been hit since around the year of 2000 by a growing number of cases where forged credit cards are used for purchases of duty-free goods on international flights, with losses to credit companies running to the tune of hundreds of millions of yen, Japanese police said on Nov. 18.

These fraud cases - that capitalize on the airlines inability to perform online authorizations of credit card uses in the air - are being investigated by Chiba prefectural police.

Police said they suspect several cross-border rings are involved in the fraud and have identified a group of a dozen members that includes Thai and Filipino men.

The rings typically fabricate forged cards using credit card information skimmed from legitimate holders and use them on flights operated by Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and other Asian airlines, according to investigations by police and Kyodo News.