Two Romanian nationals have been charged after allegedly using skimming devices on ATMS in Sydney and the Illawarra region to steal $800,000 from their unsuspecting victims.
Gabriel Niculescu-Stoian, 48, and Alexandru Tulba, 41, were arrested at their home in Chatswood on Thursday, and police said they seized cash, skimmers, electronic devices and false passports from the unit and a storage facility in Homebush. A third man was released pending further enquiries.
They were both charged with one count each of dealing in money worth $100,000 or more believed to be proceeds of crime, and possessing or controlling a thing with intent to dishonestly obtain or deal in personal financial information.
Niculescu-Stoian was also charged with importing a thing with intent to dishonestly obtain or deal in personal financial information, and Tulba is facing one count each of possessing a false foreign travel document, and submitting false or misleading information to a reporting entity.
They did not enter pleas in Hornsby Local Court on Friday and were remanded in custody until July 23, the Inner West Courier reported.
The Australian Federal Police began an investigation in April with the help of the United States Secret Service into reports ATMs were being tampered with, and allegedly discovered metal skimming devices inserted into bank machines with obscured pinhole cameras.
“Police will allege the two men inserted thin metal devices, known as skimmers, into the card slots of ATMs in suburbs including Chatswood, Darlinghurst and Burwood,” the AFP said on Friday.
“It will also be alleged they inserted skimmers into ATMs in the Illawarra suburbs of Warilla, Shellharbour, Fairy Meadow, Warrawong and Berkeley.
“Skimmers capture the financial data stored on the magnetic strips of bank cards when they are used in ATMs. This data can then be accessed when the skimmer is retrieved. Using this process, the men allegedly cloned bank cards with the stolen data and defrauded victims of a total of more than $800,000.”
The AFP released video of one of the alleged skimming devices being removed from an ATM and are carrying out a fingerprint analysis.
AFP Detective Superintendent Marie Andersson said skimming schemes “hurt hardworking Australians who are already feeling the financial pinch” and urged bank customers to report unauthorised transactions.
Header image: Left, one of the men being arrested. Right, one of the men allegedly installing a skimmer (AFP).
