A Romanian fraud gang used a calculated cash machine scam to steal more than £40,000 from unsuspecting pensioners across Britain.
CCTV captured the brazen scheme, in which elderly customers were distracted by banknotes deliberately dropped on the floor while their genuine cards were covertly replaced with fake ones.
The three men travelled between Halifax and Lloyds Bank branches, targeting vulnerable customers nationwide. One pensioner was left £11,100 out of pocket before discovering they had been conned.
Ionut Matei, 40, Vasile Ciubotaru, 45, and Ramonel Mandache, 51, have been sentenced to a combined total of more than 13 years in prison after a fraud campaign that continued for almost two years.
The carefully planned operation began with one gang member watching as a victim entered their PIN at a cash machine, while another positioned himself to create a distraction.
Once the customer had completed their transaction, one of the criminals would drop a banknote on the ground behind them.
The fraudster would then tap the victim on the shoulder and ask if the money belonged to them.
As the pensioner turned to respond, an accomplice would quickly exchange their bank card for a similar-looking counterfeit.
The victim would leave believing they had collected their own card, unaware that the gang now had both the card and the PIN needed to access their account.
Ionut Matei, 40, was jailed for five years and six months
CCTV footage captured the gang distracting elderly customers with dropped banknotes before switching their bank cards
The three men targeted vulnerable Halifax and Lloyds Bank customers across Britain, including one victim who lost £11,100
Using the stolen cards and PIN numbers, the gang withdrew cash and paid for purchases, with some transactions amounting to thousands of pounds.
Many of those targeted were in their 70s and 80s and were left distressed when they discovered that large sums had disappeared from their accounts.
In one case, a pensioner lost £11,100 over a period of nearly two weeks before realising they had been targeted in the scam.
The gang operated in Cheshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and Kent between October 2024 and August 2026.
Their nationwide crime spree was exposed through Operation Rages, a major Cheshire Police investigation into theft and fraud.
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Detectives discovered that the Romanian nationals had travelled extensively across the country, deliberately visiting bank branches where they could target elderly and vulnerable cash machine users.
The investigation, which included offences in Warrington and Widnes, also revealed that the gang had used forged driving licences to obtain cars fraudulently and hide their identities and movements.
Following an extensive review of CCTV footage, officers located the three men in Portsmouth. They were arrested on August 18 this year.
All three refused to answer questions when interviewed by police.
They later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
Appearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday Matei was jailed for five years and six months.
His sentence also covered an offence of knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order.
Ciubotaru, from Ilford, east London, was handed four years and eight months behind bars.
Vasile Ciubotaru, 45, from Ilford, east London, was handed four years and eight months behind bars
Ramonel Mandache, 51, from East Ham, east London, was sentenced to three years in prison
Mandache from East Ham, east London, was sentenced to three years in prison.
Detective Sergeant Stephanie Bland, the senior investigating officer for Operation Rages, said the gang had caused not only ‘significant financial losses’ but also a ‘lasting impact’ on victims’ ‘confidence and wellbeing’.
She said: ‘This was a highly organised criminal enterprise that deliberately targeted elderly and vulnerable members of the public for financial gain.
‘Operation Rages was a complex investigation spanning multiple force areas but in policing there are no borders.
‘And even though a majority of these offences occurred outside of Cheshire, our officers were determined to identify those responsible for these crimes, bring them before the courts, and provide reassurance to victims and the wider public.
‘We are determined to make Cheshire a hostile environment for criminals.
‘We will continue to disrupt serious and organised crime, protect our communities, and ensure offenders face justice.’