KAMLOOPS, British Columbia -- Dimitri Brezinev, a 34-year-old illegal Russian immigrant, now faces more than 100 fraud charges as Canadian police continue to investigate a multimillion-dollar scheme involving stolen debit card codes.
According to a Canadian Press report, authorities believe the scheme, that drained more than $1.2 million from bank accounts across Canada, began with three privately owned ATMs in the Vancouver area.
The investigation has revealed that suspects used three private ATMs to gather bank account information and PINs from ATM users, Kamloops RCMP Sgt. Randy Brown said on Dec. 5. Police believe Brezinev is part of a larger group they're still tracking -- believed to operate as far away as Denmark.
The exact locations of the ATMs isn't yet known but it appears the data was collected over the past few months. The ATMs appeared normal and dispensed cash, so customers had no way of knowing their personal data was being collected, Brown said.
Brown said it appears the thieves chose this past weekend to put their stolen data to work, by creating phony bank cards and draining cash from accounts at bank ATMs across British Columbia. (See related story Skimmers hit bank ATMs in Vancouver)
Reports of fraudulent activity came from Vancouver, Kelowna and Kamloops, where a man was arrested at a Bank of Montreal ATM.
Kamloops RCMP seized 77 bank cards and about $1,000 from Brezinev, Brown said. He will appear in provincial court in Kamloops on Dec. 6. Immigration officials have confirmed they have a warrant for his deportation.
Brown said hundreds of victims of the scheme have surfaced across Canada and from other parts of the world but expects the number will grow. "There could be thousands," he said.
Brown said the thieves likely targeted debit cards instead of credit cards, which don't require a PIN, because debits provide quick and easy access to hard cash, sometimes up to $1,000 a transaction. Stolen credit card data often only allows thieves to purchase merchandise.
