$25,000 stolen from low-income victims in New Jersey debit card scam

A group of 10 men and women have been accused of stealing debit card information from low-income victims in five New Jersey counties, as well as Pennsylvania and New York.

All victims were using electronic benefits transfer accounts, the nationwide system for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds.

Starting in February, the crew installed skimming devices at points of sale at business establishments to steal account information and then make their own debit cards, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said.

The phony cards were used to make bulk purchases of energy drinks and baby formula at stores in Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Somerset, and Union Counties, as well as in New York and Pennsylvania.

These purchases all drew on the victims’ federally funded EBT accounts.

SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget.

To date, the total loss to New Jersey victims was more than $25,000, prosecutors said.

10 people charged

All 10 defendants — Maru Dumitru, Stefan Lautaru, Boby-Stefan Degeratu, Gabriela Ilie, Claudiu Padeanu, Demetria Costache, Mensi Dumitru, Albert Enciu, Florin Badea and Gheorghe Miclescu — were charged with second- and third-degree crimes, for use and trafficking of personal identifying information, theft, and financial facilitation of criminal activity.

Searches by Highland Park Police and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office recovered more than 100 electronic debit cards, skimmer and encoder devices, as well as proceeds and items from the thefts, police said.

In court on Thursday, Dumitru, Lautaru, Miclescu, and Degeratu were ordered to be held in jail, pending trial.

Anyone with potential information was asked to call Detective Brian O’Mara of the Highland Park Police Department at 732-572-3800 or Detective Greg Mac Donald of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-3300.

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