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Fri, May 25 2012
Bulgarian skimmer arrested in the United States
Police in the US have apprehended a 34 year old Bulgarian citizen who was thought to be a member of a Bulgarian-run skimming gang which specialised in kitting out ATM machines with electronic surveillance equipment used gain access to bank accounts of unsuspecting customers, Bulgarian news agency BTA said on July 30 2009.
The gang was said to have installed hardware that recorded customers' Personal Identification Numerber (PIN) codes. An additional gadget was installed that allowed them to read the information on the card so it could be duplicated.
The scam was discovered by the staff of Wachovia Bank and Bank of America.
The arrested was caught red-handed, in the process of trying to detach and retrieve the equipment. Bail was said to have been set at $1.5 million dollars.
Earlier this month, a Bulgarian-based criminal group was said to have been behind a similar scam involving ATM machines in Australia's Queensland Gold Coast, media reports said on July 22.
Reportedly, at least 80 000 Australian dollars were siphoned from Gold Coaster's bank accounts in an international card-skimming operation that Australian authorities believe originated in Bulgaria, Australian broadcaster goldcoast.com.au said at the time.
More than 70 people were thought to have been defrauded in over a month at the ANZ automatic teller machine on the Gold Coast Highway at Nobby Beach. This had prompted banks and credit unions to cancel all credit and debit cards of customers who have used the ATM.
One victim of the scam was a Santorini Hotel housekeeper, who was said to have lost nearly 8000 Australian dollars.
"We've had a lot of people come in and say their money had been stolen," one unidentified shopkeeper was quoted as saying by goldcoast.com.au.
In April 2008, US police in Miami Beach busted a ring of Bulgarian nationals who were accused of planting skimmers on ATMs in the area for a period of over two years. The gang allegedly installed pinhole cameras in the ceiling of the ATM to record the PIN numbers and used the stolen data to withdraw more than $160 000 from bank customer accounts in the space of a fortnight
The gang was said to have installed hardware that recorded customers' Personal Identification Numerber (PIN) codes. An additional gadget was installed that allowed them to read the information on the card so it could be duplicated.
The scam was discovered by the staff of Wachovia Bank and Bank of America.
The arrested was caught red-handed, in the process of trying to detach and retrieve the equipment. Bail was said to have been set at $1.5 million dollars.
Earlier this month, a Bulgarian-based criminal group was said to have been behind a similar scam involving ATM machines in Australia's Queensland Gold Coast, media reports said on July 22.
Reportedly, at least 80 000 Australian dollars were siphoned from Gold Coaster's bank accounts in an international card-skimming operation that Australian authorities believe originated in Bulgaria, Australian broadcaster goldcoast.com.au said at the time.
More than 70 people were thought to have been defrauded in over a month at the ANZ automatic teller machine on the Gold Coast Highway at Nobby Beach. This had prompted banks and credit unions to cancel all credit and debit cards of customers who have used the ATM.
One victim of the scam was a Santorini Hotel housekeeper, who was said to have lost nearly 8000 Australian dollars.
"We've had a lot of people come in and say their money had been stolen," one unidentified shopkeeper was quoted as saying by goldcoast.com.au.
In April 2008, US police in Miami Beach busted a ring of Bulgarian nationals who were accused of planting skimmers on ATMs in the area for a period of over two years. The gang allegedly installed pinhole cameras in the ceiling of the ATM to record the PIN numbers and used the stolen data to withdraw more than $160 000 from bank customer accounts in the space of a fortnight
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Faking it
Authorities warn that carelessness and a lack of awareness have led to numerous cases of identity theft and damages, both online and offline
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The Bulgarians have been charged with carrying out data-skimming attacks on ATM machines in Nelson and Canterbury
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Bulgarian ATM skimming gang arrested in Greece
Bulgarian ATM gang apprehended in a joint Greek-Bulgarian police operation. Similar operations in the past against Bulgarian skimmers have occurred in the United States and Australia.
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This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained не е по темата на статията
there is always someone trying to rip you off some how some where that's life
When I take money from an ATM, I cover the keypad when I enter the numbers. No hidden camera can see my PIN code!
We have skimming in Sweden and Europe as well. What is stupid with USA is that you still are using magstripe only cards. This will make USA the main target for skimming for a long time. Most countries in Europe have changed to EMV cards. In some countries even cards without magnetic stripe (chip only) are introduced. These cards will not be possible to copy at all.
"Americans are getting ripped off by young Bulgarian gangsters, who are probably illegal... Yeah Americans have messed up a lot falling for Bush's war of terror in Iraq. And Yes, our bankers are criminals that only care about their own avarice. However, we work hard for our money and our families."
This is what you people sound like:
Sure we started all those wars, sure we let our stupid greed get us into the sub-prime mess, sure we tipped the whole world into financial crises, but look at [...]
Read the full comment those young Bulgarian gangsters, stealing from our accounts - they were probably ILLEGAL!!!!
Michael:
"I think the problem is this forign attitude that is a grave missconception--that all one has to do is go to America and become rich, like money grows on trees or something.
No, they'd be doing the same in BG - criminals with nothing else going for them. And no, nobody thinks that people get rich in America. We all know how broke you are, and how the Chinese own your ass.
"I say the best Justice would be to send them back where they [...]
Read the full comment came, and the hell with the Balkans, the Black Sea, Sophia, and everything Bulgarian!""
Yeah, stay away! I prefer to see Czech and Russian babes on the beach.
Americans are just too fat....
"Yes, Poor Bulgaria! Americans are getting ripped off by young Bulgarian gangsters, who are probably illegal, and all you people can say is "poor Bulgaria." Yeah Americans have messed up a lot falling for Bush's war of terror in Iraq. And Yes, our bankers are criminals that only care about their own avarice. However, we work hard for our money and our families. I think the problem is this forign attitude that is a grave missconception--that all one has to do is go to America and become rich, like money grows on trees or something. What you'll find is that [...]
Read the full comment people have to bust their balls to get ahead, especially in America. That's where these gangsters went wrong, they thought they could get a free ride instead of actually working. Well they stole from our bank accounts and now our taxes are going to pay for "justice." They will probably go to jail and American taxes will provide them with food, television, air conditioning, work-out facilities, and, of course, reading material. I say the best Justice would be to send them back where they came, and the hell with the Balkans, the Black Sea, Sophia, and everything Bulgarian!"
Nell:
"Very few people in the world even know there is a country called Bulgaria. So how sad when every time it comes up in the foreign press it is in a negative light."
Оnly Bulgarians and Europeans with a grudge notice that kind of news.
Most Americans have no clue what the criminal is, nor do they care. The same way when Christo wraps Central park or something, one never hears about his nationality.
Nell, it turns out that the entire American financial [...]
Read the full comment structure was based on fraud and lies - a system where Medoff was only the most obvious tip of the iceberg - so much so, that it reverberated throughout the world, and may still throw little countries as far as Bulgaria into a financial crises, and you think that the world is focusing on one petty (in the skim of things) criminal gang, just because he happens to come from a small country, that worries about its image?
16,000 Americans get killed by guns, by other Americans and all kinds of other nationalities, in the US every year (4,000 Americans died in Iraq for the whole war) and Bulgarian gangs are the problem?
I think it's time to grow out of this provincial idea that the world is scrutinizing us at every junction. Sure, some do for variety of reasons, mostly politicians for domestic consumption in their countries, but the rest of the world is busy with more important for them things.
the FBI and CIA and other government agencies are very familiar with BG, in fact, the Balkans, Baltics, Sibera, anywhere on the face of this earth and outside of earth. Why do you think NATO is there in BG. Oh yeah, the USA is how many times larger than BG. There is no parallel. Do you think you are smarter than a well-educated russian. Then why did the ruski's dominate your BG lands for so long.
If it wasn't for the USA the entire eastern hemisphere of the EU would still be under communist regimes!!! Crime [...]
Read the full comment exists in all walks of like. And those cheap scums who talk crap will never leave their respective countries and negative intents will only lead to self-destruction and they will be caught, guaranteed! The technologies the criminals use is no match against the USA government.
Oh, wait till you face the crimnials in the USA, you thought manchester, england was bad; nothing compares to the ghetto's of USA; you have not seen the other brutal street side of USA.
Ounce for ounce the street thugs of the usa will whip the street thugs of any bulgarian street thugs, for that matter any street in the world, save of weaponry. These BG's think that gypsies are the worst they have seen. Maybe in BG but not around the world until one has entered the streets of US ghetto's.
i love bulgaria. there are criminals everywhere.
The problem is Valeri, that while all will agree that what Madoff did was terrible, he isn't the only American hitting the news. Very few people in the world even know there is a country called Bulgaria. So how sad when every time it comes up in the foreign press it is in a negative light. Bulgaria does have an image problem and the typical Bulgarian response of pretending it doesn't matter isn't helping. Sure, America isn't overly concerned about its image; but everyone in the world knows it is there. And a good percentage of the world want to [...]
Read the full comment go there despite its perceived image. But Bulgaria? Americans always ask, "Is that in South America?" and I've personally heard western Europeans talk of getting out the map to figure out where Bulgaria is. When you are as small and insignificant to the world as Bulgaria is, image matters.
Bulgaria image has nothing to do with anything.
Nothing any Bulgarian has done could possibly equal folks like Bernie Medoff, in fact I don't think all Bulgarians of all time stole $50 billion, as did your American born Medoff.
Pay, does that reflect bad on America or only on the Jews?
If the Jewish image damaged by Medoff?
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained
Such sad day for Bulgaria. These clowns sully the image of Bulgaria. American prisons are not as "weak" as Bulgarians think they are.
God bless we have a pround patriot from the US of A with excellent English language skills (spelling is a particular forte), a great grasp of geography (Siberia is a part of Russia, my good man), and a good sense of cold-war victory. Criminals are just as abhorrent to the average Bulgarian as they are to the Average American; nobody likes being ripped off. To lump the broader citizenry with the criminals is a typical mistake made by lesser minds of indeterminate origin and suspect command of language. It is called 'guilt by association' and thus a false argument, akin [...]
Read the full comment to lumping every Moslem with Al-Qaeda supporters. One may hope, dear Busted, that, as you period of stay in the West is extended so shall your mind.
Foreign Phisher Sentenced to 50 Months in U.S. Prison!
The first foreigner convicted of phishing in the United States was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison Monday.
Defendant Ovidiu-Ionut Nicola-Roman is a Romanian citizen arrested two years ago in Bulgaria and extradited to the United States.
What idiots; scumbags from communist have no respect for the judicila and/or penal system.
When you try to commit a crime in the USA prepare to lose your last dime because you may cease to exist in [...]
Read the full comment the USA penal bars for committing those crimes.
www {dot} privacydigest {dot} com/2009/03/31/foreign%20phisher%20sentenced%2050%
These eastern bloc countries think they can outwit the USA. Where-ever you are; You will be found when you mess with United States of America. Your criminal misdeeds no matter high sophisticated you think communists, the branch of USA judicial penal enforcers will catch. Do you actually think your the first of this kind criminals. If the USA could find criminals in the vast russian and siberian lands; do you actually think the USA law enforcers are new at this. DONT MESS WITH UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
This country is like no other. Scumbags wait till [...]
Read the full comment you face the USA prison system; you'll pray you had never entered this land of USA.