Ever wonder who steals your credit or debit card information from ATMs?
Well, in Memphis it might have been Cristian Balazs-Andras. When the undocumented Romanian was arrested in June, he had 68 fraudulent gift cards with him, according to U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant.
Balazs-Andras, 24, was arrested at First Tennessee Bank in Germantown after he tried to use gift cards at the ATM there that he had re-encoded with stolen credit and debit card numbers. Surveillance video captured the man using electronic skimming devices and other machines to commit fraud at SunTrust Bank branches throughout the Memphis area.
Earlier this week, Balazs-Andras pleaded guilty to two-counts of access device fraud, according to Dunavant. The maximum penalty is 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge. He is is scheduled to be sentenced in February.
“Access device fraud, skimming scams, and debit/credit card theft victimizes innocent citizens and compromises the security of banks,” Dunavant said in a statement. “Protecting the integrity of financial institutions and transactions is a top priority of this office, and this case demonstrates that such crimes of dishonesty for financial gain do not pay.”
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service.
