Florin Duduianu – Attorney Legal Counsel

What is skimming? Orange County, CA authorities bust Florin Duduianu, Romanian crime ring accused of swiping info off of EBT card

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 17:33:16 +0000

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Authorities arrested 48 alleged members of a Romanian crime ring who allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from low-income Californians by skimming their state benefit cards.

The suspects are accused of installing skimming devices in stores and using them to swipe the information off of EBT (electronic benefit transfer) cards, which low-income families use to buy food and baby formula.

Once they have the information, they bleed the cards dry, buying baby formula which they then bring down to Mexico – where formula is in short supply – and engage in trade with drug cartels.

The victims may not realize they have lost all their benefits until they are at the checkout, trying to buy groceries for their families.

“These are not victimless crimes,” said Orange County District attorney Todd Spitzer. “The victims are single mothers struggling to put a roof over their children’s heads and food on the table and hardworking people who need a helping hand who find themselves standing at the checkout line with bags full of groceries only to be humiliated when they find that they have no money in their account because a thief has surreptitiously taken everything.”

The state of California lost some $108 million in CalWORKS benefits last year from such skimming operations.

The suspects are from Romania and many of them entered the country illegally, Spitzer said.

Among those arrested was Florin Duduianu, 39, one of Romania’s most wanted criminals, and described as the leader of the group, according to officials.

Duduianu has since been indicted by a federal grand jury for fraudulently accessing government assistance funds.

Some of the suspects were seen in social media posts flaunting luxury cars and Rolex watches, and even bragging in Romanian: “Don’t love what isn’t yours, you can make it yours.”

Spitzer along with law enforcement officials are now calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to implement chip technology for EBT cards, similar to when California issued the Middle Class Tax Refund via chipped debit cards in October 2022.

Authorities said the chip technology would make it more difficult for thieves to clone the EBT cards and illicitly withdraw funds.

Source link

Attorneys and law firms can elevate their online presence with professionally written content from SEO Content Writing Services monthly plan. Our team of experienced writers specializes in crafting blog posts, articles, and written content that accurately reflect the expertise and knowledge of our clients in the legal field. With a keen eye for detail and a thorough understanding of legal terminology, we provide high-quality writing that helps our clients stand out from their competition and engage with their target audience. Trust SEO Content Writing Services for one time article writing or monthly written content to handle all of your written content needs and showcase your law firm's expertise.
If you need written content, blog posts, or articles professionally written for your website, we can help. Go HERE to find out more.
or email us here: myseowritingservices@gmail.com
To find out more about our article writing or blog post services, fill out the form, thank you.

The post What is skimming? Orange County, CA authorities bust Florin Duduianu, Romanian crime ring accused of swiping info off of EBT card appeared first on Attorney Legal Counsel.

Stealing from the poor: Orange County authorities bust Romanian crime ring accused of skimming from low-income Californians

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 20:26:27 +0000

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) — Orange County authorities arrested 48 alleged members of a Romanian crime ring who allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from low-income Californians by skimming their state benefit cards.