CONCORD, N.H. — A Romanian national with a prior conviction tied to a large-scale ATM scam in England was arrested in Concord and charged with multiple fraud-related offenses, police said.
Teofil Bortos, 46, who listed no fixed address in New York, was taken into custody Monday and charged with 15 offenses, including five felony counts of identity fraud, four felony counts of forgery, four counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, disobeying an officer, and making a false report to law enforcement.
The investigation began Friday when Concord police responded to the Hannaford supermarket following a report of debit card fraud. The victim told officers that multiple unauthorized purchases and cash withdrawals had been made at the store, even though the victim still had possession of their debit card at the time, according to Lt. Thomas Yerkes of the department’s Bureau of Investigations.
Investigators determined a male suspect had used multiple credit and debit cards in approximately eight transactions. Surveillance and other evidence showed the suspect leaving the scene in a dark-colored SUV with out-of-state license plates. Police later linked the same individual to similar fraudulent transactions at other retail locations across New Hampshire.
On Monday, a patrol officer spotted the suspect vehicle at the Hannaford location. Bortos was contacted after exiting the store and allegedly provided a New York driver’s license containing identifying information that did not match his true identity. Officers later confirmed his identity and placed him under arrest.
Bortos was held on preventative detention and transported to the Merrimack County Jail. He was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.
According to reports from the British press, Bortos was previously convicted for his role in a major ATM malware scheme in the United Kingdom in 2014 and 2015. Authorities said he was part of an Eastern European crime group responsible for targeting more than 50 ATMs across the country, resulting in losses estimated at £1.6 million, or about $2.15 million today.
Court records indicate Bortos’ role involved scouting ATM locations and identifying potential targets for malware installation. He was living in Newham, London, at the time and later arrested in Romania. He was sentenced to seven years in prison after admitting his involvement in the conspiracy.
British media reported that approximately £1.3 million from the scheme remained unaccounted for as of January 2016.
