A police officer in Australia arrested a Romanian who is believed to be part of a group of criminals specialized in ATM skimming.

The crime ring, whose members are from Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary, managed to steal an estimated 400,000 Australian dollars (some USD 300,000) from victims in Australia over the past six months, reports 9news.com.au.

The moment when the Romanian stole money from the ATM, as well as the moment of his arrest, were caught on camera (see video below). The man, who is dressed as a worker, is shown throwing credit cards in a bin. Right after that, the police officer arrives, asks him to remove his wig, hat, and vest, and then arrests him.

According to the Police in Australia, skimming devices used by criminals are becoming more technologically advanced.

"The components they’re using are easier to conceal and harder to spot," Detective Acting Sergeant John Cheyne said, reports 9news.com.au.

The members of the card skimming group often install two devices on an ATM to skim the cards. One reads the credit card’s data as the cardholder inserts it, and the other is a small camera that captures the cardholder entering his PIN number.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWZ61u0wNvc

Earlier this month, a Romanian admitted to being part of a large ATM theft scheme in the U.S., and pleaded guilty to bank fraud before a U.S. judge.

Romanian prosecutors dismantle ATM skimming group

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