Shoreditch revellers warned of PIN card scam
Delina-Georgeta Peta - Credit: Archant
Revellers have been warned against teams of thieves who will memorise pin numbers in bars, before stealing their bank cards.
Delina-Georgeta Peta Ionel Dimancea - Credit: Archant
The warning comes after two thieves were jailed for a scam, uncovered when a 30-year-old victim realised the last time she had used her bank card was in a Hoxton bar.
The woman didn’t realise her card had been stolen until her bank called her to ask if she was shopping online, informing her someone was trying to buy £490 of goods with her card, while £500 had already been wiped from her account.
Eagle-eyed officers were able to identify two suspects in the bar area standing nearby her on CCTV, one of whom handed something to a third man who left the premises.
Delina-Georgeta Peta, 22, of Crescent Road, Dagenham and Ionel Dimancea, 47, of no fixed abode, were captured on CCTV committing a spree of thefts between May 2 and 10 in the Shoreditch area, using the method of watching a customer enter their PIN number into a card reader whilst paying for a drink at a bar. They would then steal the card and later use it to withdraw cash at a ATM.
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PC Ian Steel said: “This is a good result and I hope this case highlights how easy it can be for thieves to steal your bank card and ultimately your money.
“Please always shield your PIN when entering it in a card reader and ensure your bank card is always securely on your person.”
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Peta pleaded guilty to 14 counts of theft on December 21, and she was sentenced to four months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, on Friday January 8 at Wood Green Crown Court.
Dimancea pleaded guilty to seven counts of theft from a person and one count of theft from a meter on December 22 at Wood Green Crown Court, and was sentenced that day to eight months’ imprisonment.
He was also ordered to pay a £900 criminal courts charge and a victim surcharge of £100.
Police are still trying to find the third suspect.