No One Attacks More ATMs Than These Criminals

years, Krebs' articles threatened to cost Tudor millions. Florian Tudor, like most gang leaders, is a man whos unafraid of violence, didnt take kindly to being exposed. Tudor wanted revenge, and Marcu was the man who could make it happen. Shortly after the publication, an ominous message from an address tied to a Romanian hacker appeared in Krebs' inbox. It said: quote Dont worry.. We are coming for you.

You and your wife.. all is matter of time, amigo. Florian Tudor The Riviera Maya gang, led by Florian Tudor, originated in Craiova, Romania, thousands of miles from the tourist hotspot of the Riviera Maya in Mexico. Around 1,000 members were a part of the sophisticated operation. They captured bank card data by installing skimmers on ATMs and hacking into well-known manufacturers' machines to install their custom-designed software. Tudor

was a businessman and would spend the profits on luxury apartments in his Romanian hometown, using the money from the gang's profits. Gang members referred to him as 'El Tiburon' or 'The Shark'. The gang's leader had a murky past, and there are conflicting reports about his Life before the Riviera Maya gang. Tudor was born in Craiova, Romania, and became involved in crime at a young age, although

he had a clean criminal record. The details of any of his earlier crimes are unknown. When Tudor was in Italy, authorities took him into custody and ultimately deported him, although, again, the details of those charges were unclear. While details about Tudor may be cloudy, one thing was clear: Tudor knew how to run advanced and carefully planned scams. Skimmers The gang made money from ATM skimming, which

involves stealing credit card information by putting a skimming device on an ATM. The device reads inserted credit and debit card's magnetic stripes, which enables criminals to put the card information on cloned credit and debit cards. Once they've created the cloned cards, they could make purchases and withdraw money, while the original card owner was blissfully unaware. What's the easiest way for consumers to discover that their information

has been stolen? To make big purchases or withdrawals immediately, thus causing the bank to call the victim and inquire about the charges. Tudor knew that to get away with a heist of this size, hed have to move slowly and smartly. Not only did the Riviera Maya gang wait months before they withdrew any money from the compromised cards, they also stole small amounts of money. They withdrew

$200 from each card, making it far less noticeable to their victims. The operation had many ways to hide the root location of their crimes. When they finally used the stolen card information, they would have members in different countries go to ATMs far from the Riviera Maya region of Mexico and nowhere near where the victims lived. The gang employed 'skimmers' and 'pullers', who operated in places like

India, Barbados, Grenada, Paraguay, Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, making it even harder for victims to pinpoint the location of the theft. To seem more legitimate, Tudor and his stepbrother, Adrian Enahaescu, set up Top Life Servicios, a Cancun-based company where they could hide their criminal activities. They quickly realized they would run more effectively if they operated their own ATMs. The group purchased machines from well-known

manufacturers, such as Hyosung and Triton, hacked their processors, and installed custom-designed software to steal people's information without any extra hardware. Now, all the gang needed was placement and credibility. Multiva According to the OCCRP, Multiva, a well-respected Mexican bank, began its business relationship with Top Life Servicios in 2014, an agreement that benefited both parties. Multiva wanted to branch out into the Riviera Maya area of the Yucatan

Peninsula's Caribbean coast. Top Life Servicios wanted to appear as legitimate as possible, and sponsorship from a bank with name recognition printed on the side of their ATMs was exactly what was needed. Despite some red flags, Multiva continued working with the company. Since local governments weren't enforcing any of the regulations, there was no reason to worry about silly things like licenses or paperwork. The agreement with Multiva

covered the entire Riviera Maya area, where millions of tourists flock annually to Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Cancun. Top Life installed their ATMs in hotels, restaurants, boardwalks, and beaches throughout the region and installed the machines without permission from any local governments. By 2017, Top Life operated over 100 Multiva-branded ATMs, which copied roughly 1,000 cards every month. While the gang only withdrew small amounts of $200 from

each card, their monthly income was $20 million. With so much money coming in, the gang had to account for it without raising suspicion. Dirty Laundry The OCCRP reported that, from early 2014 until spring 2019, the criminal network was making $240 million annually and an estimated overall total of around $1.2 billion. In fact, the Riviera Maya gang controlled at least 10 percent of the $2 billion annual

global market for skimmed cards. They concealed their profits through money laundering, using front companies, and purchasing luxury real estate. The shell companies had little or no actual business operations and were a vehicle for the gang to move money across the world. A network of 'cash mules' helped physically transport large sums of money across borders. They traveled in small groups and used different modes of transportation to

avoid detection at border crossings while carrying up to $200,000 in cash. Once the money reached its destination, members would deposit it into multiple bank accounts or use it to purchase high-value assets. Gang members also sent associates in countries like the United States cash via Western Union. The recipients would buy luxury goods like high-end cars, and Rolex watches that they would resell for clean money. Tudor's Romanian

wife, Rebeca Tudor, was the sole shareholder of a construction company called Retezat, which they used to launder the proceeds from the scheme. Her job was to receive the large sums of cash deposits that mules were carrying and put them into the company, where she would use the money to pay for construction projects, equipment, and materials. Rebeca was using the construction company for a range of projects,

such as transforming an ex-government building in Craiova into a luxury apartment complex. Tudor purchased the building with a shell company and transferred ownership to Rebeca. Rebeca used the cash she received from Tudor's associates to pay for the $2.2 million renovation work to the property. She paid workers and suppliers in cash, avoiding a paper trail. They sold the high-end apartments for $110,000 each when the work was

over. The gang transferred the sale proceeds to offshore companies that Tudor controlled. In their efforts to be untraceable, the criminal group buried some of the stolen money, placing it in plastic bags and burying it in places like empty lots, backyards, and even cemeteries. Dealing with money in the States, however, was a different story. US Laundering Banks often freeze accounts when a card is used overseas without

any notification. To stop this from slowing the gang down they needed to withdraw the money from ATMs located in the United States. Tudor enlisted the help of Filip Sardaru, a Romanian who immigrated to Canada in 1999 after being persecuted in his home country. He was an expert in helping fellow Romanians across the U.S. border, having smuggled at least 295 people from Mexico into the U.S. in

2012 and 2013 alone. Sardaru would fly people into Cancun, the location of the Riviera Maya Gang's headquarters, with at least one corrupt immigration agent. They were put on buses to travel to border cities like Tijuana, Mexicali, and Ciudad Miguel Aleman, where they would stay in hotel rooms rented by the gang. Mexican guides would bring Sardaru's people across the border on foot. Sardaru and his associates made

roughly $2,200 for each person they brought across the border. Compromised ATMs A group of Eastern European men offered an ATM technician $6,000 to install Bluetooth skimming devices in the ATMs. The technician contacted Brian Krebs, a former Washington Post journalist specializing in internet security crimes. The gang planted Bluetooth skimming devices in many of their ATMs, making it even harder to detect them. When Krebs traveled to Mexico,

he discovered that many ATMs had a Bluetooth link called 'free2move'. The crime syndicate bribed and coerced ATM technicians to install the Bluetooth skimmers and paid technicians to compromise machines at competing ATM providers. The scheme essentially gained them control over Intacash, another Mexican-based ATM company. Krebs wrote a three-part story on his blog, KrebsOnSecurity, about ATM skimming and mentioned that an Eastern European gang was running the scam.

The Intacash Tech shared pictures of Instacash's chief deputies and screenshots of card data allegedly gained by the company's various skimming operations. The source was extremely scared for their safety but stated that Tudor's gang was paying off Mexican authorities. Mexican police never followed up on Krebs' reporting, but the gang temporarily shut down their operations. A furious Tudor ordered members to temporarily extract chips from 10 of the

ATMs they ran and 25 to 30 ATMs owned by other companies or banks. Tudor and his associates couldn't hide forever, and it was from within the gang's highest rankings that things began to implode. Getting Noticed Constantin Sorinel Marcu was one of Tudor's most trusted men and his former bodyguard, but their friendship was clouded by resentment. Tudor was jealous of Marcu's relationships with women, and Marcu felt

he wasn't getting a high enough cut from the business. As tensions were rising, Marcu began sabotaging Intacash's operations by applying superglue to Intacash ATMs' PIN pads and card acceptance slots. At the same time, Tudor was paranoid that Marcu would go to the police and reveal the gang's entire operation. In June 2018, Marcu was driving in Cancun. One moment he was following a member of Tudor's crew,

and the next, he had lost his life because of a bullet. Details of Marcus demise are unclear, though he was likely dispatched somewhere else and moved to his car. Marcus car was parked in front of a new apartment complex built and paid for by Tudor. The news media narrative of what happened avoided placing any blame on Tudor or his gang. However, Marcu's brother, Aurelio Marcu, spoke

out against the Mexican authorities. He claimed that Tudor was giving the police large sums of hush money. Mexican authorities helped spin the news media narrative over the crime to avoid generating too much attention. By that point, Tudor was working so closely with police in the area that he was practically in charge. But Tudor's connections couldn't save him when law enforcement finally became suspicious of his operation.

If youre enjoying this story, be sure to stay right on this video to find out all about Lamor Whitehead and how hes ripped off people around him! Court Order Romanian authorities issued a court order for Tudor's arrest on charges of attempted murder and leading a criminal network involved in human trafficking. Tudor was unwilling to go down without a fight, and a physical confrontation broke out when

Mexican authorities arrested him. Video footage of Tudor wrestling officials and screaming while they carried him out by his arms and his legs went viral. Police arrested some of Tudors associates, who allegedly tried to assault at least one police officer during the exchange. Multiva claimed to have been entirely unaware of any scam carried out on their branded machines, despite KrebsOnSecurity exposing the gang in September of 2015.

Krebs detailed how the ATM industry and law enforcement sources were being bribed and coerced by Tudor's associates while Multiva did nothing. The bank stated they hadn't dealt with unusual complaints and denied any knowledge of Intacash. Multiva also said they audited their machines but that statement was likely untrue. Despite allegations of fraud and corruption involving Multiva's branded machines, they continued working with Top Life for a considerable

time. They even signed a new agreement with Multiva in 2019 to provide ATMs for the bank's customers. Multiva didn't end its relationship with Top Life until Tudor's arrest and extradition to Romania. They made a statement emphasizing that the bank wasnt involved in any illegal activity and that Multiva was also a victim of the ATM fraud. Corruption The operation went much further than just the bank's involvement.

Jorge de la Pena Ruiz de Chavez, the leader of Mexico's Green Party, was removed from office after being accused of receiving money from the Romanian ATM skimming gang. The Mexican Ministry of Finance seized 79 bank accounts as part of their ongoing investigation into the criminal network, and one of those accounts belonged to De la Pena. He cooperated with authorities but denied any involvement in the group.

De la Pena wasnt the only person to have their bank account frozen by the Mexican Ministry of Finance. Public figures like the former Secretary of Public Security of Cancun Jose Luis Jonathon Young, his father Jose Luis Yong Cruz, former governors of Quintana Roo, the owner of the Quequi newspaper Jose Alberto Gomez Alvarez, and the notary Nain Diaz Medina, also lost access to their accounts during the

investigation. In May 2020, the Mexican daily newspaper Reforma reported that Tudor and his associates enjoyed legal protection from a top anti-corruption official in the Mexican attorney general's office. Florian Tudor is currently in a Mexican prison, fighting his extradition to Romania to face more charges. Weve all heard about horror stories from vacationers visiting foreign countries. Tourists always seem like easy marks, since they typically have large amounts

of disposable cash ripe for the taking. The scary thing about the Maya Riviera Gang was the legitimacy with which they operated: their ATMs had a trusted brand, there was no evidence of tampering, and the sums being removed were relatively small so they would escape notice. The lessons here are to use the chip readers whenever possible, since the skimmers copy the magnetic strip. Some also suggest setting

up a separate travel account to limit the damage should your card become compromised. Even while Tudor is in custody, his businesses are as strong as ever, which begs the question: why continue risking jail time? Florian Tudor is reminiscent of Dr. Evil not understanding that hes making plenty of money through legitimate means. At the end of the day, a shark is always going to be a shark.

Simple Trick Between January 2016 and Sept of 2019, Rubbin Sarpong and his squad worked together to scam women in New Jersey and the surrounding area on online dating apps. His accomplices lived in Ghana, while he lived in the US. What he and team would do is set up fake dating profiles all over the place on various dating websites, such as Plenty of Fish, Okcupid, Tinder.. Sarpong

would routinely hit up women on online dating sites looking for romance. Whatever platform you could think of, he was on there messaging women. He would message and quickly sweet talk women looking for love. But then hed quickly turn the conversation into a promise of getting rich. It goes without saying that they would ALWAYS use a fake person identity. Sometimes theyd go through the trouble of making

fake IDs as well. They also had to set up numerous email addresses, numerous phone numbers, and numerous bank accounts. And most of the time, they posed as US military personnel stationed overseas. But why the military? Military Simply put its because of the fact that being in the military just makes things MUCH easier for scammers in general. Its actually quite smart for the scammers. The fact that

military personnel are stationed outside the US makes it easy for scammers to make up excuses why they dont have something a normal person would have when someone asks them questions. They can just blame everything on the fact that theyre overseas in the Military! Plus theres the whole secrecy thing they can play up with the government at play. Hundreds of times a day, women all over the

world are being conned by scammers posing as US service members. This is according to Chris Grey from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. They literally get hundreds of calls a day about dating scams! Most of the victims are women in the US. They mostly range from their late 30s to late 70s. Youd think that it would be someone whos dumb and uneducated. Nope! Grey says that

education doesnt matter. Plenty of highly educated people get scammed as well! .Mil Check According to Grey, theres one easy step to avoid getting scammed by a military impostor. Just ask to be sent an email from his or her military account ending in dot Mill. Grey says the scammers will do everything they can to get around this email check. Theyll just quickly make up another lie, such

as saying theyre on a top secret mission. Hotspots for online romance scams include Nigeria and other countries in West Africa. But today theres only a small number of personnel in the West African region. For example, fewer than 50 military and civilian employees and contractors are in Nigeria! Golden Play After Sarpong establishes some virtual sparks with the women, this is when the real work starts. He starts

asking them for help in the form of money! For Sarpong, gold was always involved. Sarpong would make up that money was needed for the purpose of paying to get gold bars into the US. The stories that Sarpong and his team use arent the same every time. They tailor it for each woman. Most of the time Sarpong would claim to be a soldier stationed in Syria. Hed

say he either received, found, or was awarded gold bars. Hes now rich, but he had a problem. He didnt have enough cash on hand to ship the gold bars himself. There were taxes to be paid, shipping fees, and other fake invoices that needed to be paid in order to get the gold to the US! Hed tell the women that their money would be returned once the

gold bars were back to the states, and of course, theyd get a lot more money back for their efforts! Lets get into some details with the scam. One unidentified and unfortunate lady well call Scammed Victim number 1 went back and forth with Sarpong. He told her that he was stationed in Syria and his unit had recovered MILLIONS of dollars worth of gold bars. He told this

lady that he was given one of the boxes of gold, and that box was worth $12 million dollars! Why do people fall for this? Has anyone heard of the military ever giving away gold bars to soldiers?! Anyways, Sarpong started asking her if she could help him get the bars back to the US once he knew she was hooked. And this is where Sarpong usually has the

ladies talk to one of his team members, just so they could build some trust in the ladies minds. Diplomat Lyss In this specific instance, someone on his squad posed as a diplomat named Alwin Rolf Lyss. He was supposed to help her help Sarpong with the transfer of the gold back to the US. This fake diplomat would have the perfect answer for every one of her questions.

How come Lyss didnt have his own US bank account? Because he wasnt a US citizen! So he had the victim wire her money to his secretarys bank account. He told her this was the account he used whenever he arranged gold deliveries for people! Of course, that bank account actually belonged to Sarpong. Even after the victim wired the money over, they would keep talking to her. Why

would they do this? If they found someone who would send money one time, why wouldnt they send money a second time? Or a third time? Or maybe a fourth time! The money just keeps coming until the women realize theyre getting scammed! Basically, theyre going for max value per scam here! A few days later, Fake Diplomat Lyss told Victim number 1 the good news. He would be

flying from Syria to New York, and then to Maryland with the gold. He emailed a copy of a fake airway bill that showed the two trunks with the quote "family treasure" that were being shipped to her. The fake airway bill had her address on it. They really tried to make it seem like she was getting the gold! He was listed as the delivery agent. But there

was one problem. There would be extra costs! Lyss also attached a copy of a fake United Nations Identity Card that showed that he was an Israeli citizen and an official delivery agent for the UN. Also he told her, that way, she would recognize him when she picked him up at the airport! From approximately May 22, 2018 to June 12, 2018, Sarpong and his scam team successfully

scammed almost 94 thousand dollars from this particular lady running this usual military play! Alternatives But Sarpong didnt always go after women, and he didnt always use the military. He went after at least 1 man! Sarpong pretended to be a lady who was living in Florida in one instance. Sarpong played a lady who was waiting on a large inheritance that was mostly in gold from her dads

estate in Ghana. Because whos dad wouldnt have their assets mostly in gold?! Well call this guy Scammer Victim #2, or number 2 for short. Sarpong told Number 2 an attorney named Mumuni Muhammad was helping her get her inheritance to the US. But she needed funds in order to cover the court costs, airway bills, document fees, export fees, and taxes! Shes now rich, but she just didnt

have cash on hand. Their scam is just a spin off the Nigerian Prince scam right? Muhammad had instructed number 2 to wire the money to Sarpong, who Muhammad would refer to as one of his sons in New Jersy. And when number 2 asked why his son had a different last name, he would just make up a different lie! You would think these scammers would be extremely

careful, but theyre really not. They make up a lot of sophisticated sounding lies, but they still make mistakes on the fly. But what helps them also is just the little glimmer of hope for love and money from the victim! Muhammad ended up making up the excuse that Sarpong was someone who used to work for him and that he misspoke. This guy still sent the money anyway.

All for the hope of even more money coming back along with getting to help someone who he thinks is a real woman! #2 eventually wired a little over THREE HUNDRED thousand dollars to Sarpong and his team! Split Of the roughly $2.1 million dollars that they were able to scam out of people, about 40 percent went to Sarpong and the remaining money went to the rest of

the team. So what did Sarpong do with HIS portion? If you check out Sarpongs instagram, he was definitely desperate for attention. You can just tell that he wanted the world to know that he was living it up. He craved that validation of a successful business man. The funny thing is that no one really paid attention. None of his posts have that many likes. Ultimately he did

these scams and made some money. Instead of saving the money, and trying NOT to get caught, here he was blowing the money on random frivolous things and posting it online! Its like he ALMOST wanted to get caught! Investigators eventually caught on to Sarpong and his team. They said that he was the ringleader of the international operation that scammed over 30 women. He was charged in federal

court with just a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. And he was the only one actually charged, because everyone else was international. Heres the craziest thing. He actually asked a judge to assign him to a public defender. Why? Because he claimed he didn't have enough money to pay for a lawyer! Click to watch one of these next videos! Let us know in the comment

section on a scale of 1 to 10, how concerning is using an ATM to you in regards to having your information stolen?