STRATEGIC PARTNERS
February 13, 2003
TORONTO -- Two women who participated in a $1.2 million fraud (about $790,464 U.S.) that a judge has called the "most significant attack on the ATM network in Canada" have been sent to jail for 20 months.
According to a report in the Toronto Star, Marina Kachin, 45, and Ioulia Rovenskaya, 32, received the sentence at College Park court.
The two women were not the masterminds of the scheme, which stretched from Vancouver to Sudbury. Authorities believe Rovenskaya and Kachin, who are both single mothers and arrived in Canada with Israeli passports, were part of a group of 10 people connected to the fraud.
However, police seized $280,000 (about $184,447 U.S.) of the $1.2 million recovered to date when they arrested the women in December.
In January, the two women, who are cousins, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit fraud, according to the Star.Similar to a high-profile fraud in New York (see related story Skim scam man), the Canadian scheme began with the purchase of independent or "white-label" ATMs, which were set up in Vancouver stores. The machines were equipped with a skimming device that stored users' card information, including PINs. The machines were removed from the stores, and the information was used to make bogus cards.Illegal withdrawals occurred between March and December, 2002, at bank ATMs in several Canadian cities. (See related story Skimmers hit bank ATMs in Vancouver)Sergei Shapar, 31, and Vladimir Savenkov, 48, also face a number of charges, including fraudulent use of credit cards and fraud over $5,000. They are to appear in court Feb. 19.
A prosecutor involved in the case suggests the total fraud may be as high as $5 million (about $3.2 million U.S.)
Meanwhile, another Russian, 34-year-old Dimitri Brezinev, faces a preliminary hearing in Kamloops in June after 77 cards and about $1,000 were seized after he was arrested at a Bank of Montreal ATM. (See related story Canadian police arrest Russian in skimming case)
