Sabrina Matache, 22, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to commit bank fraud stemming from her participation in an “ATM skimming scheme," the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.
Matache, of Middle Village, N.Y., and others allegedly conspired to install “skimming” devices on ATMs and on card swipe devices at several Peoples United Bank locations in Connecticut. The devices captured the information encoded on the magnetic strips on bank cards, the statement says.
The group also set up devices with pinhole-size cameras on ATMs to record the personal identification number of customers that used the ATMs. The stolen information was used to create fake bank cards to withdraw money out of people’s accounts, the statement said.
The Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force arrested Matache and two co-defendants April 22, 2010, at a Peoples United Bank in Darien. At the time of the arrests, the three were in possession of $2,000 in cash, handwritten notes with addresses of Peoples United Bank locations, ATM skimming tools and other items used in the conspiracy, the statement said.
In March and April 2010, Matache and a co-conspirator used a pin-capturing device at an ATM in Cos Cob. The two also used stolen bank account information to make unauthorized ATM withdrawals from Peoples United Bank's ATMs in Stamford and Darien from April 19 to April 22, 2010.
Matache is scheduled to be sentenced June 15. She faces a maximum prison term of 30 years and a fine of up to $1 million.
Do you feel safe when you use ATMs? Do you think your personal information will be protected?