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BofA, Citizens Bank Bulgarian ATM skimmers get jail time

October 23, 2011

A federal judge Friday sentenced two Bulgarian nationals for skimming ATMs run by Bank of America and Citizens Bank.

Ivaylo Hristov, 29, of Toronto, was sentenced to 65 months in prison, and Vladislav Vladev, 37, of Bulgaria, was sentenced to 75 months in prison, according to a Boston Business Journal article.

The two pleaded guilty to stealing information from Bank of America customers' mag-stripe cards and sending the data to Bulgaria for decoding and dummy card manufacturing. The pair used hidden cameras placed on the ATMs to steal victims' PINs to use with the dummy cards.

U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz's office said the men will have to pay a combined $91,580 in restitution to Citizens Bank and $43,800 to Bank of America.

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