Six individuals in the St. Louis area are accused of being involved in a bank fraud scheme by installing skimming devices on ATMs to steal bank account information from customers. The accused individuals include Laurentiu Miguel Ivan, Venera Isabelle Dumitru, Mihai Florin Marinescu, Ianus Nita, Mihai Vlaicu, and Nelu Nae.
Marinescu, Vlaicu, and Nae have already appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Ivan and Dumitru also pleaded not guilty earlier in August. Reports suggest that Ivan and Dumitru have ties to Romanian organized crime. Nita, on the other hand, has not been arrested yet.
The scheme involved installing skimming devices on ATMs, using cloned cards to withdraw money, and then retrieving the devices from the compromised ATMs. Law enforcement was able to intercept one skimming device from an ATM on May 28, which led to several arrests and prevented further theft attempts.
Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division advised the public to regularly review bank and credit card statements for any unauthorized transactions to protect themselves from such fraudulent activities. He also suggested avoiding using ATMs or gas pumps with hidden skimmers by going inside to make transactions with a merchant or teller.
It has been revealed that Ivan, Dumitru, and Marinescu are not in the United States legally, while Nita has overstayed his visa. Court motions have been filed to keep them in jail until their trial.
The accused individuals face federal charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Nae, on the other hand, faces a federal charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Such criminal activities not only harm financial institutions but also put innocent customers at risk of identity theft and financial loss. It is important for the public to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to safeguard their personal information and finances.
