The City of London Police’s Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit (DCPCU) was on TV on April 4 – ITV1’s ‘Fraud Squad’.
The hour-long programme, which also featured the force’s Cheque and Credit Card Unit (CCCU), showed how detectives are tackling organised crime gangs making millions from cash machine crime.
The gangs use an array of equipment to steal customers’ bank account details. Secret cameras record pin numbers and skimmers copy account details from the magnetic strip on the bank card. Some gangs even design new fascias to put on the cash machines.
Head of the DCPCU, DCI Paul Barnard, said: “Criminals are constantly evolving their technology to beat the crime prevention technology being put in place by the banks.”
Viewers learned how Romanian nationals have a monopoly on the trade, equipment and rewards.
“The fact is 92 per cent of all ATM fraud we see in this country is committed by Romanian nationals. Very, very tight communities, very tight gangs”, added DCI Barnard.
“The crime is highly lucrative earning the gangs well over £2 million a month and the competition is fierce.”
The documentary followed last year’s two-part ‘Fraud Squad’ series on the force’s investigation into an international boiler room fraud.
