A man has pleaded guilty to seven charges after being caught red handed with a device used to steal money from bank accounts via cash machines.
Alexandru Nahirneac, 22, from Romania, was caught after a pattern of thefts was noticed at the cashpoints at the parade of shops on Bedford Road, Kempston.
A customer had reported £750 disappearing from his bank account after his cash card was apparently retained by the cashpoint at Barclays Bank in Bedford Road on Thursday night (May 15).
But in fact, he was the victim of a fairly common scam where a plastic device, commonly called a Lebanese Loop, is inserted into the cash card slot.
A camera positioned above keypad then takes film of the customer entering their PIN number. The customer cannot get the card back and usually walks away from the machine believing the bank has retained it for some reason.
The thieves, usually organised groups, now have both the card and the PIN number, which they use at a different cashpoint to draw money from the customer’s account.
When the man reported the matter to the police, it became clear that other such thefts had happened in the preceding few evenings - so officers decided to lie in wait on Friday night to see if the thieves returned.
Officers from the Kempston Safer Neighbourhood Team and CID kept watch from various points and then saw two men who appeared to be tampering with the Barclays cash point.
They gave chase – arresting Nahirneac as he tried to discard the equipment – although the other managed to get away. Enquiries continue to locate him.
Nahirneac was charged and appeared at Bedford Magistrates Court yesterday (Monday May 18) and pleaded guilty to six charges of having control of an article used in fraud, and one of theft.
He was remanded in custody to appear for sentencing at Luton Crown Court on June 5.
“We have had instances of this scam at this parade of shops before so it was good to catch at least one of the people responsible,” said Insp Mark Everett, the area inspector. “We have been working with the bank to contact other customers who may have been victims of these thefts last week – in the meantime we’d remind people to be careful when they use cashpoints.
“If you feel anything looks different or suspicious, there seems to be a problem with the card slot or you feel someone is watching you too closely then abandon the transaction, take your card back and report the matter to the bank as soon as you can.
"If you used this cashpoint last week and your card was apparently retained by the machine, then contact your own bank as soon as possible to make sure your account is in order."