BUCHAREST, Romania Law enforcement agencies in Europe, America and Australia arrested 70 suspects in a Romanian-based ATM skimming ring that allegedly used bogus ATM cards to drain nearly $3 million from credit union and bank accounts around the world.
The gang rigged point-of-sale devices in European shopping centers with card readers and malware, according to Europol, the European law enforcement agency that coordinated the operation, known as “Pandora-Storm.” More than 400 police officers were involved in this international operation.
On the action day, Thursday, support of the final arrests was carried out from the command center set up in Bucharest by the Romanian Police. Europol officers assisted the action by deploying the mobile office to Bucharest while simultaneously providing support at Europol’s headquarters in The Hague.
The organized crime group stole credit and debit card details and PIN codes by manipulating POS terminals in big shopping centers across Europe using sophisticated methods. Members of the group used the stolen data to create counterfeit payment cards that were then used for illegal transactions outside of Europe, in the U.S., Argentina, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The credit card fraud network was primarily controlled from Romania and affected approximately 36,000 card holders from 16 European countries, according to Europol. In addition to physically manipulating POS terminals and rigging them with rogue credit card readers, the group used malicious software developed for such systems and engaged in online fraud activities, the agency said.
Illegal electronic equipment, stolen financial data, cloned cards and cash were seized during house searches in Romania and the U.K., Europol said. Two illegal workshops for producing hardware and software designed for POS manipulation have been discovered and shut down, the agency said.
The investigation was run by the Romanian Cybercrime Unit and a specialized division of prosecutors from the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism with support from law enforcement agencies from other countries that collaborated through Europol.
Eighty-five house searches were conducted across multiple Romanian counties. At the same time, property searches were being conducted in the U.S., Germany, U.K., and the Dominican Republic, the agency said. The Romanian agency has identified four individuals who are believed to be the leaders of several criminals groups that formed the credit card fraud network. Combined, these groups have over 100 members.
The groups did not only target POS terminals, but also ATMs with the use of skimming devices.
