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Pair of Romanian nationals charged over alleged ATM skimming operation
The Australian Federal Police has charged two men for their alleged role in tampering with ATMs in Sydney and the Illawarra region.
Two Romanian nationals have been charged by the AFP over their alleged role in an ATM skimming operation that saw the pair net more than $800,000 stolen from the bank accounts of their victims.
The two men, aged 48 and 41, are alleged to have engaged the scheme earlier this year, installing skimming devices – slim metal devices inserted into the card slot of an ATM to copy a bank card’s details – in ATMs in the Sydney suburbs of Chatswood, Darlinghurst and Burwood, among others, and in the suburbs of Warilla, Shellharbour, Fairy Meadow, Warrawong and Berkeley in the Illawarra region.
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The AFP was alerted to the scheme by multiple banks after they observed tampering of their ATMs.
The two men allegedly used the data stolen by these skimmers to clone the cards of their victims, allowing them to illegally access and withdraw money from the compromised accounts. Police also allege the men tampered with the cameras of the ATMs in order to avoid detection.
After executing a search warrant at the pair’s Chatswood home and a Homebush storage unit on May 22, the AFP recovered false passports and electronic devices. The two men were arrested shortly after, along with a third man who was later released.
“These brazen schemes hurt hardworking Australians who are already feeling the financial pinch,” AFP Detective Superintendent Marie Andersson said in a May 23 statement.
“If you notice unauthorised transactions in your bank accounts, please notify your bank and block the account.
“A message to potential criminals – your actions can always be traced, and the AFP will not hesitate to apprehend and prosecute you.
“This result would not have been possible without the assistance of the NSW Police Force, the United States Secret Service and financial institutions.”
The two men were charged with one count of possessing a false foreign travel document and one count of possessing or controlling a thing with intent to dishonestly obtain or deal in personal financial information.
If found guilty of both charges, the pair faces sentences of up to 23 years in prison.
If you believe you have fallen victim to cybercrime, you should immediately report to police using ReportCyber at cyber.gov.au.
If you are concerned your identity has been compromised, contact the national identity and cyber support service IDCARE at www.idcare.org.
David Hollingworth
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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