Hi °C | Lo °C GARDAI have busted a card skimming gang who are believed to be linked to over 20 incidents of ATM fraud.
Two men have been arrested following a lengthy surveillance operation by detectives in relation to an organised card skimming ring.
The Romanian suspects -aged in their 30s and with addresses in west Dublin - were picked up by detectives at Sallins Road, Naas, Co Kildare yesterday.
The duo remain in custody today at Naas Garda Station and sources say that “charges are very likely” in the case.
The men were picked up as part of Operation Glint - the special investigation by gardai into ATM skimming.
A source said: “This was a detailed surveillance operation which took a number of weeks to come to fruition.
As part of the operation detectives recovered a “sophisticated” skimming machine as well as a car used by the two men.
“These men are linked to a number of similar crimes across all of the country.”
Gardai launched 'Operation Glint' in January of last year to target ATM thieves after banks reported a rise in the number of skimming incidents in 2010.
Last December, a previous main target of Operation Glint was ordered to forfeit over €8,000 to the State after it was found in his Limerick home.
Vitalii Pascari (35) had been pursued by police forces across Europe and America, but it wasn''t until gardai raided his four-bed home in Limerick that the sophistication of his skimming operation was uncovered.
Moldovan national Pascari was jailed for five years after he pleaded guilty at Limerick Circuit Court to eight counts of theft and fraud relating to the alleged manufacturing and distribution of ATM skimming devices.
In November, the Irish Payment Services Organisation (IPSO) revealed that criminals are using a new type of skimming equipment at station vending machines in an attempt to capture debit and credit card details and PINS from cardholders.
DART and Dublin suburban train stations had been targeted in recent weeks with at least three known cases including an incident at Booterstown DART station and Dun Laoghaire reported.
