Five persons aged between 22 and 35 were arrested on suspicion that they cloned bank cards and other payment instruments, IPN reports.
Head of the National Patrolling Inspectorate’s Economic Frauds Division Alexei Bacoş told a news conference that with the assistance of equipment for making bank cards that they created themselves, they cloned the cards of foreigners by scanning the personal data and withdrew money from ATMs outside the country.
The group was headed by a man aged 33 from Chisinau municipality. The others lived temporarily in Chisinau. They all studied information technology.
Veaceslav Manole, head of the Prosecution Coordination Section of the Chisinau Police Division, said an investigation was opened two years ago. As a result of searches at suspects’ homes, the police found €23,000, US$ 950, 13,000 lei and expensive jewels. Three cars will be sequestrated.
Prosecutor Nicu Şendrea noted that large sums of money were withdrawn with the assistance of the cloned cards. The five persons will serve four to eight years in jail if their guilt is proven.
