Five Toronto men are facing more than 150 charges in an alleged ATM fraud scheme.
Toronto police allege the men executed a plan in which they placed "skimming devices" over the card-reading slot of ATMs across the GTA. They then attached a pinhole camera facing the PIN pad of the machine.
The equipment was left in place for one to two hours and was used to capture the card information of more than 60 bank clients.
The men then allegedly removed the equipment, transferred the data to a computer, and created counterfeit cards which they used to withdraw money from the victims' accounts.
The scheme netted the men about $280,000, police allege.
After a two-week investigation, the five men were arrested last week. They each face charges ranging from identity theft, making a credit card forgery device and conspiracy to commit fraud.
The accused are:
- Calin Nicusor Nicula, 26
- Ionut Oltean, 29
- Petru Mosneag, 43
- Jozsef Kiss, 41
The men are scheduled to appear in court Thursday, while another will appear in court on Mar. 3.
Editor's Note: CTV News Toronto has removed the name of a fifth suspect initially named in this case. Court documents show all charges against the man were dropped and the case against him was dismissed.
The Toronto Police Service reminds the public of the following precautions when using an ATM:
- Cover up your PIN when using the machine,
- Report any suspicious activity to banking staff,
- Check your bank statements for irregularities.
Any member of the public with further information is asked to contact 416-808-7300, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637), or Leave A Tip on Facebook.
