A man who committed over £172,000 of fraud targeting cash machines was sentenced on 18 June 2021 at the Old Bailey to four years and ten months in prison.

Ovidiu Raducanu, 36, of Nottingham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the UK banking industry, following a successful investigation by the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), a specialist police unit sponsored by the banking and finance industry that investigates criminals responsible for fraud. Raducanu used a device known as a cash claw to steal funds from several cash machines across the UK between 3 November 2019 and 12 August 2020. By inserting the device into the cash machine, he was able to withdraw cash without it being debited to his card.

The fraud was spotted by bank staff and referred to the DCPCU to investigate. CCTV evidence from the ATMs identified Raducanu conducting transactions using a cash claw. Officers from the unit arrested him at his home address on 10 November 2020.

Detective Chief Inspector Gary Robinson of the DCPCU, commented:

This criminal thought he could get away with committing ATM fraud across the UK.

?This sentence should act as a deterrent to anyone thinking of committing similar offences and shows that no-one is above the law. Those who commit fraud will be caught and punished.