https://justnews.ro/cautat-pentru-fraude-informatice-a-fost-extradat-in-sua-unde-risca-ani-grei-de-inchisoare/He took over his brother's "business" and now faces 30 years in prison in the US
November 28, 2022
The Romanian Șovu Mircea-Dan will be extradited to the United States and soon handed over to the American judicial authorities, after the final decision taken last week by the Bucharest Court of Appeal. On the name of Şovu Mircea-Dan, since 08/02/2022, there is an arrest warrant issued by the Court for the Southern District of the State of New York. In Romania, Șovu Mircea-Dan was detained and then arrested on the basis of a provisional arrest warrant, for a duration of 30 days, issued starting on 14.09.2022.
The facts
The Romanian is accused of committing the crimes of access device fraud, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, mail fraud affecting a financial institution, wire fraud affecting a financial institution, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, grand larceny identity. In fact, as shown in the reasons for the arrest decision, recorded by rejust.ro, Șovu Mircea-Dan is suspected that, starting from 2016 and until March 2021, he was the main owner and operator of a site called Myc……… ...com, which sold electronic equipment used in illegal skimming activities. The forms of payment accepted by the site were bank transfers, cash payment or crypto-currency. The products sold by the site were used for the purpose of extracting information from the debit and credit cards used by the injured persons, with the help of magnetic strip readers. The information was later transferred into a computer system and then recoded and used in counterfeit debit and credit cards and later used for unauthorized withdrawals. United States undercover agents made several purchases of skimming equipment from Șovu Mircea-Dan and recorded numerous conversations with him regarding the use of the equipment for illegal skimming activities. The agents paid for and subsequently received skimming equipment from the Romanian 4 times. The Romanian bragged to investigators, in recorded phone conversations and emails, that he was able to decrypt debit and credit card numbers obtained from skimming devices assembled with skimming equipment by sending them to undercover agents the keys decryption and software to extract debit and credit account numbers. Using the decryption key provided by the Romanian, US authorities were able to obtain over 300 debit/credit card numbers belonging to various individuals. that he is able to decrypt debit and credit card numbers obtained from skimming devices assembled with skimming equipment by sending undercover agents decryption keys and software to extract debit and credit account numbers . Using the decryption key provided by the Romanian, US authorities were able to obtain over 300 debit/credit card numbers belonging to various individuals. that he is able to decrypt debit and credit card numbers obtained from skimming devices assembled with skimming equipment by sending undercover agents decryption keys and software to extract debit and credit account numbers . Using the decryption key provided by the Romanian, US authorities were able to obtain over 300 debit/credit card numbers belonging to various individuals.
He faces 30 years in prison
7 charges were filed against Șovu Mircea-Dan:
fraud with access devices (maximum penalty 15 years in prison);
conspiracy to commit access device fraud (maximum penalty 7 years and 6 months imprisonment);
mail fraud affecting a financial institution (maximum penalty 30 years imprisonment);
wire fraud affecting a financial institution (maximum penalty 30 years imprisonment);
bank fraud (maximum penalty 30 years in prison);
conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud (maximum penalty 30 years in prison);
qualified identity theft.
He took over his brother's "business".
Șovu Mircea-Dan has a brother, Alexandru, who was convicted in absentia by the British authorities for the same kind of acts. As Libertatea reports here, Șovu Alexandru was sentenced to 11 years in prison for a bank fraud of 3 million euros, but he is nowhere to be found, being suspected of hiding in China or Romania. The Romanian managed to sell several ATM fraud devices to criminals in the USA, Jamaica, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Ghana and the Philippines. The 'skimmer' type devices (a skimmer = an illegal device designed to fit into an ATM's card insert to read bank account information), once placed in ATMs, would record information about victims' accounts in order to copying the computer data contained in the cards inserted in them.
Old problems with the law
The Şovu brothers had big problems with the law. In January 2003 , they were arrested after they were discovered to have placed several orders on the Internet, to online stores abroad (in particular, the United States, Australia and Canada) to purchase goods, using fraudulent numbers of credit cards that did not belong to them, without the knowledge or authorization of the true holders. Following the orders, approximately 100 parcels arrived in Romania in the name of their accomplices. Accused of committing the crimes of fraud, complicity in fraud, identity fraud and forgery, the two brothers disappeared, but were later captured in Budapest , more than a year after they were put under general and international prosecution.
