Two more members of nationwide Romanian gang arrested for ATM scam

atm-withdrawal
2 More Romanian Nationals Arrested For ATM Scam in Mandaue City, Cebu – stock photo – www.plnmedia.com

Two more Romanians have been arrested for their part in a hi-tech card skimming scheme.

43-year-old Petru Loan Uveges and 36-year-old Stefania Mehaela were caught in the act of making unauthorised withdrawals from ATM machines in Mandaue City using fake credit cards.

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Agents of the Philippines National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group arrested the two men after they were caught in a sting-operation.

The two had been under surveillance for the past two months, not long after the first Romanian was arrested in Cebu City for the same offence.

Various objects were confiscated from the two, including 67 British ‘export cards’, numerous withdrawal slips, several reward cards, 52,000 pesos in cash as well as their cell phones and a white Toyota Innova.

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Police say the two are members of the “Romanian Cyber Crime Syndicate”. Their modus is to withdraw sums of money from ATM machines using fraudulent British Export Cards. 

For the past few years the syndicate has been known to target international bank accounts, not local accounts, throughout the country.

Police say the two arrested are considered “harvesters” who are solely responsible for withdrawing the money from the accounts of the victims.

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The two will be charged with violation of Republic Act 8484 or (the Access Devise Regulations Act).