Three men guilty of going equipped for theft after cash machine skimming tools found in vehicle

Three men have been found guilty of going equipped for theft, after City of London Police officers found card-skimming equipment during a vehicle stop.

Cristian-Petrut Zaharia, 19, and Ioan Zaharia, 52, of Leytonstone and Sandu Vasilca, 30, of Ilford, were all arrested on 25 June 2024.

At around 8:40pm that evening, the control room spotted the three, believed to be involved in skimming, inside a vehicle which had entered the City of London.

CCTV cameras spotted the car heading to Cheapside before pulling up on the side of the road.

Cristian-Perut Zaharia was then seen getting out of the back seat of the vehicle, went up to an ATM machine with a bank card for a very short moment before heading back into the car.

Officers stopped the vehicle on Gresham Street at around 9pm. A search was carried out where items typically used for skimming cash machines were found, as well as dispenser covers, tape, hook picks, screwdrivers, superglue and chisels. A large sum of cash was also discovered.

Detective Constable James Crellin, of the Criminal Investigations Department at the City of London Police, said:

“This successful prosecution highlights our work in catching the offenders and preventing further crimes being carried out.

“Due to our effective CCTV across the City, our control room officers were able to pinpoint their location, which led to the arrests.

“It’s also a warning to those thinking of committing crimes in the City, we will catch you and bring you to justice.

“The impact of this type of crime can be devastating for the victims, who might find their accounts drained of money.”

Cristian-Petrut Zaharia and Sandu Vasilca were found guilty at the City of London Magistrates’ Court of going equipped for theft, following a trial. Ioan Zaharia had pleaded guilty to the offences in an earlier hearing.

Ioan Zaharia has been remanded to appear at the Old Bailey for sentencing.

Cristian-Petrut Zaharia and Vasilca have both been bailed and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 6 September.

Fraud at ATMs is rare, but it is important all cardholders are aware of the importance of covering their PIN and staying safe at a cash machine.

The most common types of incidents at an ATM are card entrapment and card skimming. To trap a card, fraudsters insert a device into the machine to prevent a card from being ejected. The fraudster then removes the card once you have left the cash machine.

To skim a card, fraudsters insert a device into an ATM which will copy the magnetic stripe details from your card.