Antonio Gabor and Simion Tudor Pintilie, who are believed to be the leaders of a highly advanced international ATM skimming network, are accused of stealing over 3 million dollars from more than 6,000 bank accounts.
The suspects were arrested in Skokie, Illinois, in December 2012 and are believed to have installed skimming devices in banks in New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, and New Jersey.
According to the US Department of Justice, the scammers targeted various financial institutions, including Chase and Capital One.
Gabor, a Danish citizen, and Pintilie from Romania, had installed skimming devices from April 2012 until December 2012.
Police authorities discovered ultra‑modern IT equipment, over 1,000 plastic cards, skimmers, pinhole‑size cameras, and hundreds of hours of video showing bank customers entering their PINs on the additional devices they had installed on ATMs. (see photos)
The detainees have already been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud in banks, conspiracy to commit fraud in banking devices, and notable thefts of private data. The total sentence for these crimes can reach up to 40 years of imprisonment.
