Prosecutors from the Romanian organized crime and anti-terrorism directorate DIICOT Ploiesti held 17 members of a criminal group that fraudulently withdrew money from ATMs in several countries.

The arrests were made following searches conducted on Thursday, January 8, in Bucharest and six other counties in Romania, reports local Mediafax. Three other persons were placed under judicial control in the same case.

The 20 people are investigated for establishing and joining a criminal group, accessing a computer system without having the right to do so, owning equipment destined to forging electronic payment instruments, forging electronic payment instruments, placing into circulation counterfeit electronic payment instruments and conducting fraudulent financial operations.

According to investigators, the members of the crime group used crafted equipment to copy personal data from credit cards used in POS, ATMs or in gas station. They then used the data to create fake cards which they used to withdraw money from people’s accounts. They operated in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, France, UK, Spain, as well as in Ecuador, Philippines and Panama, Mediafax reports.

A total of 34 searches were conducted on January 8 in this case, in Bucharest and Constanta, Prahova, Valcea, Bistrita-Nasaud, Braila and Hunedoara counties.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com