Three foreigners were arrested Monday night for allegedly stealing PHP339,362 (US$6,676) through ATM skimming in San Fernando, Pampanga.
Chief Superintendent Aaron Aquino, Central Luzon police regional director, released the suspects’ identity to the media, they include Nicaraguan Radu Minodor Sandor, 43; Italian Marcu Bogdan, 26; and Romanian Petro Joan Uvegas, 44.
Aquino said that although Uvegas is an Romanian, he is holding a Hungarian passport under the name Balazs Varga. He is also married to a Filipino woman who he has children with.
The arrests came after local police received a tip that three “Caucasian-looking” persons were hanging around the ATM at a BPI Family Savings Bank.
The three suspects returned to that ATM later on and were caught in the act of withdrawing money from the same bank about 10:30 p.m.
Police confiscated ATM cloning cards, stolen cash and a Toyota Wigo from the suspects.
“We are coordinating with the Bureau of Immigration on the status of the suspects as they might be involved in an international syndicate engaged in ATM card fraud,” a police official told Philippine News Agency, a state-run news website.
Police will charge suspects for violating national laws against ATM fraud.
