ATM Skimming
Consumers are aware of the risk of theft of financial information from websites. Many of us think twice before entering our credit card number in an online payment form; we increasingly prefer to store the information in our phones and then let our phones decide which vendors to trust. Financial crime can occur at all levels of technological sophistication, though. Identity theft can be as simple as the theft of a debit card and then swiping it at a store and pressing “bypass PIN,” or it can be as complex as breaching the computer system of a company and stealing the debit card numbers of all its customers who are subscribed to auto pay. ATM skimming is not one of the most technologically complex forms of financial crimes, but it still manages to misappropriate numerous debit card numbers each year and enable unauthorized transactions. If you are being accused of ATM skimming or another financial crime, contact a Pittsburgh white collar crime lawyer.
Theft of Debit Card Information
When you read about financial crime cases, it can seem arbitrary whether the defendant gets charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, identity theft, or some combination thereof. Any of these crimes can involve the theft of debit card information. Anyone can look at another person’s debit card and write down the card number or take a picture of it, but to cause the owner of the card serious financial losses, the person would also need the PIN, CVV card, or both. This usually involves theft of more extensive information about the account and the account holder.
In the News
In October 2024, a federal court in Pittsburgh sentenced two men to two years in prison after they pleaded guilty to charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Laurentiu Stroie, 35, and Cosmin Laurentiu Burlacu, 29, admitted to an ATM skimming scheme through which they illegally obtained the card numbers from hundreds of debit cards. Stroie is a resident of New York, and Burlacu is a resident of Quebec, but both men are originally from Romania.
The defendants attached a device to an ATM in Pittsburgh, and this enabled them to steal information from the ATM cards of people who used the machine. The trouble began when a store employee reported that the defendants often loitered around the store, which housed an ATM. Upon searching the defendants, police found many gift cards with PINs and bank information on them. They obtained a search warrant for the men’s hotel room, where they found an ATM skimmer, thousands of dollars in cash, and notebooks full of debit card numbers, PINs, and bank information. The investigation also revealed footage of the defendants installing a camera on an ATM.
Contact Gary E. Gerson About Criminal Defense Cases
A criminal defense lawyer can help you if you are facing criminal charges for a financial crime that involves theft of debit card numbers or other financial information. Contact the law offices of Gary E. Gerson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about your case.
Sources:
post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2024/10/23/romanian-men-pittsburgh-atm-skimming-prison/stories/202410230068
