Two Romanians accused of cloning credit cards to steal thousands of dollars

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the arrest and conviction of the 38 year-old Romanian citizen Costel Aparaschievi, accused of banking fraud and multiple identity theft offences. Bruce Brandler, acting federal prosecutor, said the defendant is primarily responsible for a conspiracy to commit bank fraud between October 6 and 21, 2018. The defendant faces up to 45 months in prison.

Aparaschivei pleaded guilty to using forged credit cards in complicity with an individual named Daniel Gologan, attempting to withdraw about $145,000 USD. The defendants successfully withdrew $66,510, which they will have to restore as part of their plea agreement.

According to Robert Mariani, the judge in charge of the case, the defendant began his fraudulent campaign about a month after illegally entering the United States, so he will be deported to his native country at the end of his sentence.

With regard to his accomplice, Gologan also decided to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, so he must serve a 40-month prison sentence and be deported at the end of this period.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the South Abington Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Banking fraud remains one of the main cybercriminal practices and affects thousands of people worldwide, so you need to stay on top of the latest trends in the world of malicious hacking. To learn more about information security risks, malware variants, vulnerabilities and information technologies, feel free to access the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) website.