A 33-year-old woman from Ukraine stood trial at the Denpasar District Court in Bali today for allegedly skimming IDR 325.6 million (US$ 22,671) from local ATMs. Prosecutors are seeking to punish her with a four year prison sentence and IDR 100 million (US$ 6,963) in fines
The woman, identified by her initials BK, stood trial earlier today via webcam (a measure taken since the the start of the pandemic) from Kerobokan Correctional Institution, where she is currently being detained.
The Court heard that BK was arrested in December of last year following reports from two Indonesians, NH and M, who claimed that the amount of money in their bank accounts was significantly reduced even though they had not made any transactions.
According to prosecutors, BK was seen using several ATMs in Denpasar and Badung. She was allegedly caught on CCTV misusing the ATMs while wearing a yellow helmet and a green jacket.
“Police later tracked the defendant from the time she stole [the victims’] money until she returned to her villa in Ungasan,” Prosecutor A Luga Harlianto said.
After being questioned by the police, BK admitted that she had done several transactions using a magnetic bank card that had been given to her by a friend, identified as M, who is currently a fugitive.
NH reportedly suffered IDR 175.8 million (US$ 12,240) in losses due to BK’s crime, while Marda lost IDR 149.8 million (US$ 10,430).
ATM skimming is quite common on the Island of Gods, enough that guides have been written on how to avoid becoming a victim of the scam while traveling in Bali. Forbes also has some tips on how to avoid cards skimming at ATMs while traveling.
Read also: Ukrainian woman arrested in Bali for skimming IDR325 million from victims in North Sulawesi
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