Romanian held in Mumbai with 60 cloned ATM cards
MUMBAI: POLICE RECOVERED ₹3.70 LAKH IN CASH FROM THE 51YEAROLD WHO ARRIVED IN INDIA ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO
A Romanian national was arrested on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday from an ATM kiosk in Vikhroli while trying to withdraw money using cards that had allegedly been cloned.
Over 60 cards, with the personal identification numbers (PIN) written on them, were recovered from the accused. Police also recovered ₹3.70 lakh cash from the accused. The police on Friday received a tipoff regarding a man wearing a mask and suspiciously wandering in the area near the ATM.
They then canvassed the area and nabbed the accused– identified as Carayvan Mariyan, 51 – when he came to the spot on Saturday night.
“Most of the cards found in the accused’s possession contained data cloned from residents of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh,” said Vilas Jadhav, senior police inspector, Parksite police station in Surya Nagar, Vikhroli West.
Police suspect that the cards had been cloned by fitting skimming devices at ATM kiosks in Uttar Pradesh, and were now being used to withdraw money from unguarded ATMs in the city. “We have informed the authorities concerned in Uttar Pradesh about the arrest. They will assist us in further investigation,” Jadhav said.
Skimming devices are small machines attached to the cardreading slot. When ATM users swipe their card across the skimming device, the information on the card gets duplicated. The stolen data are transferred to duplicate cards.
However, since the PIN is also necessary for transactions, spy cameras are fitted at the kiosk. Using the data cloned via the skimmers and the PIN caught on spy cameras, fraudsters make counterfeit cards and use them to make transactions.
Mariyan has been remanded in police custody until November 19. According to preliminary investigation, Mariyan came to India around six months ago. He frequently moved across the country, having previously lived in Delhi and Gujarat, said Jadhav.
Mariyan is currently being investigated, but the police said he is evading questions. They suspect that more people might be involved in the fraud.
This is not an isolated case and reflects a rising trend. There have been multiple instances in the city wherein people have been duped by foreign nationals using counterfeit ATM cards.