Florin Nicolae Tarta, 40, has been sentenced to almost seven years in federal prison for his role in an ATM skimming ring that targeted Bank of America customers in Westfield, New Jersey, and Chicago.
According to a report by NJ.com, Tarta worked alongside two accomplices to steal a total of $177,280 from individuals using compromised ATMs. The group installed sophisticated devices, including metallic plates equipped with card readers, memory chips, batteries, and hidden pinhole cameras, on Bank of America ATMs. These devices captured victims’ card information and PINs without their knowledge.
Tarta would later retrieve the stolen data and encode it onto the magnetic stripes of gift cards, which were then used for fraudulent purchases at a bank in Cranford and a Walgreens store in Westfield.
Authorities arrested Tarta in the act of removing one of the hidden cameras from an ATM in Westfield. He faced charges including bank fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Tarta’s two co-conspirators, Leonid Grigore Smetanca, 45, and Radu Farcas, 42, were also sentenced to prison terms of three and a half years and two and a half years, respectively.
This case highlights ongoing concerns about ATM skimming and the importance of vigilance to protect personal financial information.
