ADDRESS PO Box 39913 London EC2A 1YE TELEPHONE 020 3217 8436 EMAIL [email protected] WEB www.financialfraudaction.org.uk PRESS RELEASE For immediate release: 05 November 2014 ATM fraudsters jailed for six years Two ATM fraudsters were jailed for a total of six years at the Old Bailey today [05 November 2014], following a police operation which uncovered over £2 million worth of stolen debit and credit card details. The investigation by officers from the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU) – the police unit sponsored by the banking industry and made up of officers from the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police Service – began after several individuals were seen acting suspiciously around an ATM on Curzon Street in Mayfair, London. The group was followed back to an address in Southgate, London, where one individual – Florin Ardel - was seen dumping a quantity of gift cards bearing four digit numbers on the reverse into a rubbish bin next to the property. Ardel was subsequently arrested and a full search of the premises was carried out. Officers discovered a wide array card skimming equipment at the property, with side camera bars, false ATM fronts and card skimmers all seized, along with computers and memory devices. A forensic download of the computers found in excess of 4,800 unique debit and credit card numbers, as well as specialist software used to transfer the details onto blank cards, such as gift cards, for use in cash machines overseas. The stolen card details had a value of £2.05 million - based on the average amount stolen from a compromised card. A second individual, Ioan Flore, returned to the property during the search and was also arrested. Flore was forensically linked to the items seized from inside the property. Florin Ardel, 25, and Ioan Flore, 33, both of Southgate, London, were sentenced to 2 years 3 months and 3 years 9 months in prison respectively. DC Martin Godsave, officer in the case from the DCPCU, commented: “These two criminals were committing card fraud on an industrial scale. We discovered what can only be described as an Aladdin’s cave of card skimming equipment, with thousands of potential victims. “We are delighted that these individuals have now been brought to justice, their criminal operation terminated, and their threat to the public removed. Today’s sentence also serves as a reminder to all bank customers of the importance of protecting your PIN when you use a cash machine to help beat the fraudsters.” Since being formed the DCPCU has achieved an estimated £450m in savings from reduced fraud activity – equating to around £800,000 a week. -Ends- For further information please contact The Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK) Press Office on 020 3217 8436 or email [email protected] Notes to editors: 1. Sentences received: Florin Ardel (24/07/1989) of Royal Drive, Southgate, London: 2 years and 3 months in prison. Ioan Marian Flore (08/09/1981) Royal Drive, Southgate, London: 3 years and 9 months in prison. The Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU) is a unique pro-active police unit, with a national remit, formed as a partnership between Financial Fraud Action UK, the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police together with the Home Office. It is fully sponsored by the cards and banking industries, with an on-going brief to investigate, target and, where appropriate, arrest and seek successful prosecution of offenders responsible for card, cheque and payment fraud crimes. It is headed up by a Detective Chief Inspector and comprises officers from the Metropolitan and City of London police forces who work alongside banking industry fraud investigators and support staff. Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK) is the name under which the financial services industry coordinates its activity on fraud prevention, presenting a united front against financial fraud and its effects. Financial Fraud Action UK (www.financialfraudaction.org.uk) works in partnership with The UK Cards Association on industry initiatives to prevent fraud on credit and debit cards, with the Fraud Control Steering Group on non-card fraud. The UK Cards Association is the trade body for the card payments industry in the UK, representing financial institutions which act as card issuers and acquirers. Members of the Association account for the vast majority of debit and credit cards issued in the UK - issuing in excess of 55 million credit cards and 95 million debit cards - and cover the whole of the payment card acquiring market.