Three people received have been jailed after they pleaded guilty to charges of possession of articles for use in fraud and conspiracy to steal in connection with a series of thefts of credit and debit cards from cash machines across the south east.

They appeared for sentencing at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday 3 February. David Moldovan, 49, of East Ham, was sentenced to four years in prison, while Georgeta Neferu, 27, whose address is not known, and Florian Claudiu, 24, also of East Ham, were each sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

Cards trapped and stolen

The trio manufactured a false front that could be placed over the card slot on a cash machine to prevent the return of customers' cards. The user of the machine would think their card had been 'swallowed' by the machine and leave, at which point the conspirators would remove the false front and take the trapped card.

A mobile phone camera hidden in a case painted the colour of the machine and attached above the keypad recorded users' PIN numbers. This allowed the thieves to use the stolen cards to withdraw cash from any machine, often shortly before and after midnight to take the maximum cash allowed for two days.

Arrest

Mr Moldovan, Ms Neferu and Mr Claudiu were arrested in Tonbridge High Street on the night of 16 October having been seen acting suspiciously by CCTV operators. Among the items in their possession were a list of addresses of banks across the south east, mobile phone cameras painted in ATM colours, plastic devices designed to look like card slots, glue and double-sided sticky tape. 

When officers searched Mr Moldovan’s home, they discovered what was described in court as ‘a small factory producing the equipment needed to successfully steal credit cards and to record their PIN numbers.’

Check cash machines before use 

Detective Constable Richard Higham, who led the investigation, said: 'These people were members of a group responsible for amassing a large amount of money from other people’s bank accounts. They paid no regard to the inconvenience, and indeed distress, caused to people who had their cards taken.

'The ease with which they managed to take some people’s cards is a reminder to us all to follow simple steps and check there is nothing untoward with a cash machine before using it.'

The presiding judge in the case, commended Detective Constable Higham's work investigating the thefts.

Posted on: 8 February 2010