Alleged card skimming racketeers face court

Two alleged scammers, including an American bulldog breeder, are accused of fraudulently withdrawing at least $102,000 from ATMs across Victoria.

Romanian national and American bulldog breeder Robert Marincat is one of two people accused of siphoning off at least $105,000 from ATMs across Victoria using skimming devices.

A Romanian organised crime syndicate is alleged to be behind the siphoning off of more than $100,000 from the bank accounts of innocent Victorians by using cloned cards.

Romanian national Robert Marincat and Hubert Krawczyk, of Poland, were extradited from Queensland over the alleged offending.

In Victoria, police allege the men are involved in at least 44 events of using cloned cards linked with the ‘deep skimming’ insert device, fraudulently withdrawing at least $102,000.

Marincat, 34, and Krawczyk, 22, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday and the Eastern European nationals were further remanded in custody to reappear for a committal mention hearing on March 15.

It’s also alleged the men had been using disguises including glasses, face masks and scarfs as well as using a hire vehicle which had been leased using assumed identities.

Cameras, card skimming equipment and fake identity documents found in a raid in Queensland.

Police started investigating in June last year when authorities became aware of a number of card skimming events specifically targeting NAB and Commonwealth Bank ATMs throughout Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.

Police believe a Romanian organised crime syndicate which has global links and targets financial institutions through the use of highly sophisticated means, including deep insert skimming devices, is involved.

Krawczyk is in Australia on a student visa and has previously worked in the UK as a real estate agent.

Marincat had previously been living in the UK with his partner and child working as a breeder of American bulldogs which sold for up to $15,000 each.