Shown above is the passport of Gheorghe Adelin Stretcu, the Romanian national who was caught while trying to illegally withdraw cash from an ATM using store reward cards. (CDN PHOTO/ APPLE TAAS)
The 90 customer reward cards that a Romanian national used in withdrawing cash from automated teller machines (ATM) in Cebu City had bank account numbers from European Union countries.
Supt. Romeo Santander, chief of the City Intelligence Branch (CIB) of the Cebu City police, said bank experts examined the reward cards.
Based on the affidavit of one bank expert, the cards contained details of hacked bank accounts from Russia and EU countries like Spain, France, Germany and Slovakia.
“Several banks based in Europe with corresponding account numbers were extracted (from the cards),” Santandersaid.
He said a list of the hacked bank accounts was sent to the Consulate of Romania to enable their police to get in touch with the victims and facilitate the filing of appropriate charges against 32-year-old Gheorghe Adelin Stretcu.
Stretcu, who arrived in the Philippines last Sept. 17 with a one-month tourist visa, was arrested last Sunday by CIB operatives.
A bank security officer had alerted CIB after noticing Stretcu inserting several “green-colored” cards into an ATM.
Stretcu later admitted to the police that he used the customer reward cards, which he bought from a convenience store, to withdraw euros equivalent to about P20,000 each from a hacked bank account.
Santander said the suspect admitted converting the funds to peso and depositing this into another account.
Stretcu was charged for violating the Access Devices Regulation Act, or Republic Act 8484.
An access device refers to a card such as ATM or credit card that is used to obtain or transfer funds.
Police are monitoring his alleged cohorts, who could be residents in Cebu City. Stretcu claimed he had a friend who hacked the bank accounts.
Police and the Romanian consul are now processing Stretcu’s deportation./WITH CORRESPONDENT CHITO O. ARAGON