A pair of criminals have received three year jail terms for fitting London ATMs with card trapping devices and mobile phones for filming people entering their PIN numbers.
Gabriel Trifan and Cristenel Lazar, both from Romania, were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud at the Old Bailey having been arrested by the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU).
They were caught after tampering with cash machines in the Knightsbridge and Gloucester Road area, having fitted card-trapping devices to the ATMs, as well as positioning mobile phones above their keypads in order to film customers entering their PIN.
No customers suffered losses as a result of the scam, say police.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Barnard, head DCPCU, says: "Trifan and Lazar had only been in the country for less than a week but, in that time, officers from the DCPCU were able to pinpoint their activity and arrest them. Concluding an operation so quickly and successfully, coupled with the length of sentence handed down today, sends a very strong message to those individuals prepared to carry out this type of crime."