Romania is one of the countries involved in a huge credit card fraud scheme uncovered in the US. The scam involved the creation of fake identities to obtain 25,000 credits cards and steal over USD 200 million, one of the biggest frauds of its type, according to the US justice department, quoted by Bloomberg. From New Jersey in the US, the alleged fraudsters sent money to locations around the world – Pakistan, India, the United Arab Emirates, China, Romania, Japan and Canada, according to the FBI.

“We have already documented losses of USD 200 million, and that number could quite well go higher,” said US Attorney Paul Fishman, quoted by Bloomberg. As well as sending millions of dollars abroad, the suspects reportedly bought luxury goods, expensive cars and gold.

Police arrested 13 suspects yesterday (February 6 ), adding to the four people already in custody, and searched 13 locations. Reports suggest that the suspects are Pakistani and US citizens, with Babar Qureshi, 59, of Iselin, New Jersey, and Muhammad Shafiq, 38, of Bellerose, New Jersey named as the leaders of the group. The suspects live in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. During the investigation, police have seized nearly USD 70,000 in cash and USD 2 million in gold.

According to the US authorities, more arrests may be made. The group reportedly worked with many individuals and used legitimate businesses as fronts.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Photoxpress.com)