A group of Romanian criminals, specialized in ATM thefts in Western Europe, was dismantled following a joint investigation carried out by authorities from Romania and the United Kingdom, with the support of Europol.
The estimated damage amounts to 580,000 euros, money later invested in properties, vacations, and luxury goods.
In December 2024, British police conducted an initial intervention against the group. Subsequently, on July 23, 2025, a new operation took place in Bacău County.
According to Europol, the operation led to the detention of two suspects, home searches in 18 locations, and the seizure of valuable assets: expensive cars, real estate, electronic equipment, and sums of money.
Serial Offenses and Sophisticated Methods
The group operated in several Western European countries, especially in the United Kingdom, where illegally withdrawn amounts from ATMs were obtained through the TRF method – Transaction Reversal Fraud. Criminals inserted a bank card, simulated a withdrawal, and canceled the operation before the ATM delivered the money, still managing to extract cash.
"Europol provided significant data analyses based on information collected by Romanian and British investigators, which proved essential for the success of the operation," the European agency stated.
Additionally, Europol hosted operational meetings and sent an analyst to Romania to support the authorities.
In addition to ATM thefts, network members are suspected of being involved in skimming, card counterfeiting, and sophisticated computer fraud, including attacks on databases containing information about payment cards, used to generate fraudulent payments.