Dubuque police said a man has been arrested for his role in a local ATM-skimming scheme that resulted in fraudulent withdrawals of more than $33,000 in 2018.
Ionel Iancu, 54, of Glendale, Ariz., was arrested at 6:20 a.m. Wednesday at Dubuque Law Enforcement Center on a warrant charging ongoing criminal conduct, a felony.
Lt. Ted McClimon said charges are pending against two other people identified as suspects in the case, Meda Pasare, 49, and David Iancu, 26.
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The three were among four people who used ATM-skimming devices to obtain card information from customers of Dupaco Community Credit Union in 2018, according to court documents. The card information subsequently was used to make 79 fraudulent cash withdrawals totaling $33,845.
Investigators determined that the group used ATM skimming devices at Dupaco locations at 2245 Flint Hill Drive and 3299 Hillcrest Road.
Documents describe ATM-skimming devices as consisting of a card reader that captures debit card information and a small camera that captures a customer’s four-digit PIN number. The debit-card data then is cloned into a separate card and used to withdraw funds.
“It’s pretty sophisticated,” McClimon said. “It’s why we encourage people using ATMs or pay-at-the-pump (at gas stations) to take a look above the card reader and below the card reader. Anytime it seems like something isn’t right, let the clerks know.”
Surveillance video showed the suspects placing skimming devices on the ATMs on Dec. 9, 2018, and returning to retrieve the data on Dec. 15, 2018.
Video provided by Dupaco showed three vehicles involved in the alleged skimming. All had temporary Texas license plates linked to Houston addresses.
Authorities’ investigation determined that most of the cash withdrawals associated with the skimming occurred at a University of Iowa Credit Union location in the Iowa City area.
Video surveillance obtained from the Iowa City withdrawals showed four people. When Dubuque police were unable to determine the identities of the suspects, the case went cold for approximately two years.
Dubuque investigators had sent photos of the four to multiple law enforcement contacts. Staff at the Houston Police Department ran the images through a facial-recognition system that identified one of the four as Ionel Iancu. Further investigation led authorities to Iancu’s address in Glendale.
Customs and Border Protection authorities then identified Iancu’s wife, Pasare, and David Iancu as two of the other people in the Dupaco skimming operation, police said. Authorities have been unable to identify the fourth person.
Court documents state that David Iancu made 40 ATM cash withdrawals for a total of $17,260, while Ionel Iancu made 18 withdrawals totaling $7,205. Pasare did not make any withdrawals “but was actively assisting Ionel Iancu during them.”
McClimon said police believe this case is unrelated to other local ATM skimming cases.
