A criminal organisation used a
technique called 'cash trapping' to allegedly withdraw up to
100,000 euros a night from cash machines in northern and central
Italy.
The gang, which is thought to be based in Romania but
operating in Italy, allegedly stole millions of euros from ATMs
in Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Lombardy, Tuscany and Lazio.
They are thought to have used a single bank card, with two
holes drilled in the sides, to complete a regular withdrawal
before inserting a small metallic plate in the dispensing slot
to begin the fraud.
The men inserted small nails in the holes in the bank
card, so as to prevent its full insertion. At that point, the
system noted an error and aborted the operation, despite having
prepared the money for release. The notes were then caught by
the metal plate, named by the gang as the 'fork'.
The investigation by police in Bologna began in mid-2014
as a result of complaints by the bank Unicredit and the Banca
Poplare for Emilia-Romagna.
Police arrested eight Romanians and one Italian, who are
accused of criminal conspiracy, fraud and illicit use of a
credit card.
Unicredit said in a statement: "We want to thank the
police for the speed and care with which they conducted this
important operation and protected the security of citizens."
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