Plano ATM cash trap suspect arrested near Houston

Plano ATM cash trap suspect arrested near Houston

A Romanian national who was wanted in a North Texas cash trapping case was arrested recently in the Houston area.

PLANO, Texas - A Romanian national who was wanted in a North Texas cash trapping case was arrested recently in the Houston area.

Plano Cash Trapping Investigation

The backstory:

Plano police began investigating in July after someone installed a cash trapping device on an ATM outside a bank on Preston Road.

Security cameras captured video of the suspect installing the device. Several victims then tried to use the machine but were unable to collect their money.

Iova was then seen on surveillance video returning to the same bank to remove the blocking device and collect the trapped currency, making off with nearly $1,000.

What's new:

Investigators worked with multiple agencies to identify the suspect as Ionut Aurel Iova.

Iova is a Romanian national who was already wanted in Maryland for banking-related larceny. He was also wanted in Canada on 56 theft and fraud warrants and in Hungary for drug offenses.

He was arrested in the Houston area by Texas DPS troopers on Aug. 20 following a traffic stop.

What they're saying:

Officer Jerry Minton says Ionut Aurel Iova committed what investigators call ATM cash-trapping fraud.

"I was a forgery investigator for 32 years, and we'd never seen this before," said Minton. 

"It's fairly simple yet sophisticated. The device had to be made individually for that brand of ATM machine."

Minton tells FOX 4 that Iova has several warrants from countries across the world.

"We found out he has warrants out of Hungary for drug-related offenses. He also had totaled 56 warrants out of Canada for pretty much doing the same thing he was caught doing here," said Minton.

What's next:

Iova is currently being held in a Department of Homeland Security processing center in Conroe, Texas.

He’s charged with installing a criminal instrument, which is a state jail felony. He’s also facing a felony charge for the exploitation of an elderly individual because one of his alleged victims is elderly.

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What Is Cash Trapping?

What we know:

According to Plano police, cash trapping is a sophisticated crime that involves installing a physical device that blocks an ATM from dispensing cash.

Customers try to use the machine and then assume it has malfunctioned. They typically drive away and file a report later.

In the meantime, the person who installed the cash trap returns, removes the devices, and takes the trapped money.

What they're saying:

"This case demonstrates the importance of vigilance when using ATMs and the effectiveness of inter-agency cooperation in combating financial crimes that target our community members, particularly vulnerable populations such as the elderly," the Plano Police Department said in a news release.

The department encouraged residents to always inspect an ATM for modifications before using it, to report suspicious activity immediately, and to contact the bank or local police promptly if a cash trap is suspected.