An 18-year-old accused of placing an illegal device on an ATM in order to steal money could be part of a larger Romanian crime ring operating in metro Atlanta, police said Monday.
On Feb. 14, a customer at the SunTrust Bank on Jonesboro Road noticed a suspicious device on the ATM and called police, Lt. Joey Smith with Henry County police said. Officers were able to remove the device, he said.
That night, officers patrolling the businesses in the same area observed a man acting suspicious, Smith said. Investigators believed that man, Alex Ionita, had placed the “skimming” device on the ATM.
“It was also determined that Ionita may be part of a crew out of Romania who had placed similar devices on ATMs in the McDonough and metro Atlanta areas in the past,” Smith said in an emailed statement.
Ionita was arrested and charged with criminal possession of financial transaction card forgery devices. The investigation continues into the larger suspected crime ring.
No customers’ information was comprised from the device Ionita allegedly placed on the ATM on Feb. 14, Smith said.
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