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DALLAS – The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center uncovered a credit card skimmer factory, which they suspect is part of a larger international criminal organization.
Credit Card Skimming Bust
What we know:
On July 17, a merchant alerted authorities that they had found a skimmer. The next day, law enforcement officers gathered information to get a search warrant on a Dallas residence.
At the residence, FCIC officers allegedly discovered an operation creating credit card skimmers that were being used on ATMs across the country.
115 credit card skimmers, $50,000 in cash, 25 fraudulent IDs, and more than 300 payment cards re-encoded with victims’ account numbers were found. According to FCIC analysts, seizing these materials prevented an estimated $23 million in additional potential fraud.
Officers arrested three men. Victor Marian Tecu, Triussa Gabrielle (aka Ionut Firan Alexandrau), and Gheorge Ciprian Hilitanu are charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, unlawful interception of electronic communications, tampering with a government document and fraudulent use or possession of credit card or debit card information.
The FCIC believes these Romanian men are part of a larger international criminal organization, and they’re continuing to investigate this group.
The Texas Department of Public Safety North Texas Tag, Euless Police Department, Dallas Police Department, and the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service also assisted in this investigation.
What they’re saying:
FCIC officials warn that financial crimes are an evolving threat with victims being deceived by fraudulent documents, payment card skimming, and social engineering tactics.
The Source: This information comes from a news release from the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center.