3 arrested after over 100 credit card skimmers, fake IDs and payment cards were found inside Dallas home, officials say
Three men are facing several charges after officers uncovered a credit card skimmer operation inside a Dallas home, the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation announced Tuesday.
Authorities were alerted to the case on July 17 when a merchant contacted the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center after finding a skimmer. By the next day, officers executed a search warrant on a home in Dallas, where 115 credit card skimmers, $50,000 in cash, 25 fake IDs and more than 300 payment cards that had been re-encoded with victims' account numbers.
Officials said three Romanian men, identified as Victor Marian Tecu, Triussa Gabrielle (aka Ionut Firan Alexandrau) and Gheorge Ciprian Hilitanu were arrested in connection with the bust.
All three are charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, unlawful interception of electronic communications, tampering with a government document and fraudulent use or possession of credit card or debit card information, TDLR said in a news release.
Several agencies assisted in the bust, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, North Texas TAG, Dallas Police Department, Euless Police Department and the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service.
"Seizing the skimmers, the fake IDS and the payment cards prevented an estimated $23 million in additional potential fraud," according to FCIC analysts.
