Fugitive Indicted In ATM Skimming Case Arrested In Romania, Returned To Utah
Nov 8, 2019, 8:28 PM | Updated: 8:43 pm
Alexandru Cosmin Licsor. (Courtesy Tooele County Sheriff's Office)
(Courtesy Tooele County Sheriff's Office)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — FBI agents said they have arrested a man accused of stealing from hundreds of Utahns after tracking him around the globe for years.
Authorities said 37-year-old Alexandru Cosmin Licsor would install skimmers and cameras at ATMs along the Wasatch front then wait for customers to make withdrawals before cashing in on their hard-earned money.
The FBI said 2,000 customers unsuspectingly gave Licsor their PIN numbers and bank information.
An indictment stated between January and February of 2015, Licsor installed skimming devices on ATMs at four Zions Bank locations:
- 701 East 400 South in Salt Lake City
- 129 West Center Street in Midvale
- 5595 State Street in Murray
- 2200 South Highland Drive in Salt Lake City
“It reads the data on the bank cards and they get the pins from persons that enter their PIN. They usually have a camera and that’s how they were able to get the data and they just duplicate it,” said FBI special agent Dave Fitzgibbons.
Fitzgibbons said no one is immune to falling prey to this type of criminal activity.
“We aggressively pursue subjects in all corners of the world. It may take us time but we are going to work with all our partners and locate them and we will never give up and we will bring them to justice,” Fitzgibbons said.
The indictment against Licsor stated he was working with three coconspirators who were not identified in the document.
“We will continue to pursue, and we will catch,” Fitzgibbons said.
According to the indictment, Licsor attempted to withdraw $512,960.13 and succeeded in withdrawing $189,740.30 from ATMs belonging to other banks and as far as New Mexico.
“We have to be vigilant and cognizant of what we’re doing like when we’re at an ATM machine, including myself and my family. You have to protect your pin, put your hand over it,” Fitzgibbons said.
Licsor was extradited from Romania and a trial date was set for Jan. 13, 2020. He is facing charges for access device fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Combined, the charges could carry up to 47 years in prison.
The FBI suspects Licsor is part of a larger criminal organization operating in the Netherlands, Italy, Romania and Mexico.
