The authorities of the US state of California have complained about a new mass problem — skimming devices placed at self-service cash registers in the largest shopping centers in the region. According to the local police, which were distributed by the Fox News channel, it takes only seconds for attackers to install a skimmer.
"You can see people sitting outside Walmart or Target, and from the outside it will seem that they are begging. Sometimes they even have several children sitting with them. But in fact, they use Bluetooth to connect to skimmers inside stores, " the local prosecutor's office noted.
Security officials say they have already arrested dozens of suspects, most of whom are linked to the Romanian mafia. We are talking about a group of such size that the monthly profit of criminals can reach nine million dollars. According to some reports, several thousand ethnic Romanians may be permanently or intermittently in the United States, many of whom enter the country illegally.
At the same time, many of them even flaunt their achievements in TikTok, as did, for example, a 14-year-old suspect arrested by the police at the wheel of a sports car worth 250 thousand dollars and with a Rolex watch on his wrist. In December 2023, the FBI, in cooperation with the Romanian police, conducted raids in this European country in connection with fraud in California. As a result, 48 people were arrested and more than a million dollars were confiscated, as well as 11 luxury cars.
• Video: https://www.foxnews.com/us/romanian-mob-coming-debit-cards-atm-style-skimmers-now-self-checkouts
"You can see people sitting outside Walmart or Target, and from the outside it will seem that they are begging. Sometimes they even have several children sitting with them. But in fact, they use Bluetooth to connect to skimmers inside stores, " the local prosecutor's office noted.
Security officials say they have already arrested dozens of suspects, most of whom are linked to the Romanian mafia. We are talking about a group of such size that the monthly profit of criminals can reach nine million dollars. According to some reports, several thousand ethnic Romanians may be permanently or intermittently in the United States, many of whom enter the country illegally.
At the same time, many of them even flaunt their achievements in TikTok, as did, for example, a 14-year-old suspect arrested by the police at the wheel of a sports car worth 250 thousand dollars and with a Rolex watch on his wrist. In December 2023, the FBI, in cooperation with the Romanian police, conducted raids in this European country in connection with fraud in California. As a result, 48 people were arrested and more than a million dollars were confiscated, as well as 11 luxury cars.
• Video: https://www.foxnews.com/us/romanian-mob-coming-debit-cards-atm-style-skimmers-now-self-checkouts
