[ad_1]
Stuff
The Romanians stole more than $ 75,000 from the victims.
Two Romanian citizens who were arrested last year for importing card reading equipment have been jailed.
The couple arrived in New Zealand from Dubai in November and are believed to have ties to international criminal organizations.
Victor Ionut Ghenadi, 36, was imprisoned for three years and Ionut Alexandru Oprescu, 31, was imprisoned for two years and five months.
The duo used card extraction equipment to obtain credit card details for more than 122 kiwis and stole around $ 75,380.
READ MORE:
* Romanian citizens face more charges for card theft
* Romanian Nationals Arrested in Auckland for Importing Card Extraction Equipment
Both men were convicted of importing devices for a dishonest purpose, altering documents with the intention of obtaining them by deception, manufacturing goods with the intention of facilitating a crime involving dishonesty and dishonest use of a document.
Ghenadi was also convicted of money laundering.
A Customs investigation into the duo was launched after a courier driver refused to deliver a package to one of the men, Customs Investigations Manager Bruce Berry said.
Chris McKeen / Stuff
The couple were sentenced in Auckland District Court.
Later, customs seized two packages from London that had been declared a “music box” and a “laptop without a hard drive”, but instead found card reading devices.
The couple were arrested in January.
When Customs and police raided the couple’s Hobson St apartment, Oprescu was caught trying to hide items in a cavity in the ceiling.
“A large number of parts, tools and equipment used to make card skimming devices, a complete and functional skimming device, blank cards and a card writing machine were also found,” said Customs.
Inside Ghenadi’s pillow were numerous cards for places like Smiggle, JB-HiFi and Countdown that were loaded with financial information linked to the victims’ credit cards.
Ghenadi was caught at a local restaurant with a Farmers store card loaded in his wallet. A search of his rental car found the molding clay used to assemble the skimming devices.
Forensic analysis of the couple’s phones showed images of multiple ATMs, as well as machines in parking lots and gas stations.
A USB hard drive connected to a pinhole camera, found in the apartment, showed videos of people entering their pin codes while using a machine.
Bank deposit receipts and chat conversations showed that between mid-December and mid-January, $ 43,550 of the $ 75,380 was cashed out and deposited into an account to be converted into cryptocurrency.
Berry said card theft is a global problem and the couple traveled to New Zealand for the sole purpose of committing fraud.
“They had no qualms about stealing funds from hardworking New Zealanders,” he said.
“Customs works closely with law enforcement and industry partners to prevent exactly this type of illegal behavior. The swift and collaborative work of Customs and others ensured that many more innocent people did not lose their money.
“The two packages that hid the skimming devices were aimed at the homes of innocent occupants, which is a common method used by criminals to smuggle illegal products such as drugs, tobacco and skimming equipment.”
Berry thanked the courier driver and the company after the driver refused to deliver a package, when one of the men approached him on the street trying to pick it up.
“Customs works closely with courier companies to make sure they are aware of known criminal behavior. By warning Customs of suspicious deliveries, as in this case, they have played an important role in helping to protect our communities. “
