worth £3MILLION from single cash machine


  • Police believe Leonid Rotaru was part of a well-organised criminal gang
  • He was already on the run from the police in the UK for similar offences when he was caught
A Romanian who used a cash machine skimming device to obtain 9,000 PINs was facing jail yesterday. Leonid Rotaru, 32, was caught red handed as he returned to collect a card reader from an ATM he had tampered with. Police raided his home and found details of 9,000 bank cards on his home computer which could potentially have allowed him to steal as much as £3.25million. Barry Douglas, of Avon and Somerset police Economic Crime Unit, said Rotaru was part of a well-organised criminal enterprise.

‘You can tell from the quality of the equipment that was attached to the ATM, you can tell from the amount of detail that was found on the computer,’ he said. ‘This was well organised, well orchestrated and with good criminal connections.’ Rotaru used a highly sophisticated card reader which fitted over the entry slot of ATM machines. Users would unwittingly pass their card through the device, which would record the details stamped on it..........Read more here