Pair jailed over $36,000 card shimming scam

Two Romanian nationals living in Sydney have been sentenced for their roles in a $36,000 ATM card ‘shimming’ scam as a result of an investigation by the AFP-led Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre (JPC3), according to the press release.

The man, 34, and the woman, 33, were sentenced to four years and two years respectively by the Campbelltown District Court today (30 August, 2024).

The offenders stole funds by installing ATM shimmers on ATMs across Sydney and Melbourne to clone victims’ financial data, which was later used to obtain a financial benefit.

ATM shimmers are thin, card-sized metal devices that act like a spacer when inserted into the card slot of an ATM.

The devices are designed to record the data on the card magnetic stripe and chip, which can then be accessed later by the offender when the shimmer is retrieved.

The JPC3 began an investigation in June 2023 after receiving a report from the United States Secret Service (USSS) about a consignment of ATM shimmers sent to Australia.

Investigators identified individuals in Australia which had allegedly received a number of suspicious packages believed to contain ATM shimmers sent from the United Kingdom, China and the United States.

As part of the investigation, the AFP witnessed the Romanian nationals install shimming devices in ATMs in Melbourne and Sydney and attend banks to withdraw or transfer money to bank accounts using stolen card data.

The AFP executed a search warrant on a residence in the Sydney suburb of Rhodes and a vehicle rented by the pair in August 2023, seizing $12,935 in cash, multiple shimming devices, false identity documents, electronic devices, card readers, and SIM cards. The pair were arrested shortly after.

Both the man and the woman are expected to be deported once released from jail.