Texas Man Arrested in Baton Rouge ATM Skimming Case Linked to Romanian Crime Ring
BATON ROUGE (KPEL) — The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office arrested a Texas man accused of using skimmers to obtain ATM customers' debit card information.
What is a Card Skimmer?
These devices are illegally installed on ATM's, gas pumps, or any card terminal and used to steal the user's card information, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Skimmers are illegal card readers attached to payment terminals. They grab data from your card’s magnetic stripe without your knowledge.
The skimmer fits over the real card slot and makes a copy of your card information once you slide or insert the card. Once your card is cloned, your information is used to make unauthorized purchases.
A small camera is typically set up to capture users' PIN numbers.
Luckily, most banks take fraudulent transactions seriously and will help a victim of skimming resolve the issue.
Man Accused of Romanian Crime Ring Involvement
Pascu Eduard, 34, of Los Fresnos, Texas, is facing charges for over $1,000 and criminal conspiracy of the anti-skimming act, identity theft, bank fraud, and access device fraud, according to WAFB.
Authorities are also accusing Eduard of playing a role in a Romanian Crime Ring.
Eduard and two other suspects allegedly removed the skimming device and a camera from two other ATM locations in East Baton Rouge Parish in May of 2023.
Authorties confirmed that the the individuals involved in these crimes are members of a transnational Romanian organized crime syndicate out of southern California.
Businesses Reported Over 300 Customers Affected
WAFB reported that 346 customers' card information was stolen. Out of the 346, three accounts were stolen from totaling $2,257.
However, around 30 unauthorized withdrawals were attempted, with four being successful.
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