Courts / Dublin / Report

ATM scammer hit eight cities across Europe

Summary

Damien Ionut, 34, was sentenced to three years in prison for a series of ATM attacks across eight European cities, including Dublin, Louth, Kildare, Wicklow, Meath, Westmeath, and Dublin. He and a group used a "transaction reversal fraud" technique, first withdrawing a small amount with a legitimate chip‑and‑pin card, then inserting a clip into the cash drawer to block the release of a larger withdrawal. They swapped the card for a dummy, causing the machine to think the customer had walked away, and then used a chisel to break into the drawer and take the cash. The attacks caused about €12,881 in damage and resulted in €5,980 in stolen cash. Ionut had 30 prior convictions for similar offences and was identified on CCTV footage. The court back‑dated the sentence to November 5, 2019. The case highlighted the vulnerability of ATMs to this type of fraud.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: ATM scammer hit eight cities across Europe. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• November 5 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2020-05-01 Publication

Why: The bank account is not debited because the thieves "trick" the ATM into deciding the customer has walked off. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Fraud Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report