Two men who used cash trap devices at ATMs to steal customer withdrawals have been sentenced at the Inner London Crown Court to a combined total of four years and six months in prison.
Sebastian Vizir, 35, of Harrow, and Lucian Martinica, 29, of Harrow, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal, following a successful investigation by the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), a specialist police unit that is funded by the banking and finance industry.
The cash trap device was inserted into the ATM dispenser, meaning that when unsuspecting members of the public tried to withdraw money, the notes were trapped inside. The criminals would then return to the ATM and retrieve the device and the money.
The pair targeted cash machines at locations across north and west London, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Northampton, stealing over £20,000 in cash and causing £60,000 worth of damage to the machines when retrieving their victims’ money.
The fraud was spotted by bank staff and referred to the DCPCU to investigate. CCTV evidence from the ATMs identified Vizir and Martinica at a series of cash trapping ATM incidents.
A search of one of their home addresses uncovered a number of the devices in various states of preparation, along with the raw material and tools to make the cash traps.
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Robinson, head of the DCPCU, says: “This sentencing is a warning to those who believe they can benefit financially from fraud that they will be caught and punished.