And that has only been in the first five weeks since the Lake Illawarra unit was established.

Three of those arrests were made after a 37-year-old Mangerton man allegedly committed a break and enter in a house in Kiama.

He and two others are accused of making six unauthorised transactions using a stolen credit card around Kiama.

That prompted officers from the new unit to locate several items believed to be stolen and later charged all three.

Read more: $30k heist: Port Kembla business owner spots stolen tools for sale on Facebook

In another win for the unit, officers used social media to track down the alleged culprit who stole $30,000 worth of tools, equipment and a Toyota truck from Port Kembla's Hedden Concrete Constructions last month.

Lake Illawarra Police District's Acting Inspector Matt Brophey said the Technology Enabled Crime Unit was designed to find offenders who utilised technology to commit a crime, conceal their identity or exchange goods.

"Frauds tend to be put on the backburner for a lot of commands but we have seen they relate to so many more serious offences," he said.

"Offenders have been identified and charged for more serious matters such as break ins, stolen cars and stealing from cars because of the fraud offences they have subsequently committed."

Acting Insp Brophey said the four officers, who are preparing to become detectives, and a detective sergeant are "trolling the internet" to identify and recover stolen property that offenders are trying to dispose of via social media.

"The offences we are targeting range from selling stolen goods in an online marketplace, to unauthorised access to funds through pay wave frauds," he said.

"Fraud is the emerging crime right across the state, not just at Lake Illawarra.

"We've already seen some great results in the past month and rest assured we plan on keeping the momentum going."

The unit charged a 29-year-old man after he attended a car dealership in Oak Flats and used a fraudulent method to allegedly purchase a $10,000 car in September.

More recently on October 6, property was stolen from a motor vehicle in Kanahooka.

Police allege a 26-year-old man conducted numerous pay wave transactions across Albion Park and Dapto.

He was charged with seven counts of dishonestly obtain property by deception.

"About 75 per cent of cars that are broken into are left unlocked and from that many unauthorised transactions are occurring from stolen credit cards," Acting Insp Brophey said.

That's why he reminded people to not become complacent and to protect themselves against fraud crimes.

He said to always follow social media protocols for payments and not to direct transfer; change passwords regularly; lock mailboxes and cars; and to immediately report stolen credit cards to banks and police.