Card-Swap Gang Jailed for Targeting Elderly at Cash Machines
Three men who stole from elderly and vulnerable people at cash machines have been jailed for a combined total of more than 13 years. They were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday 19 October 2026, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
Ionut Matei, 40, of no fixed abode, received five years and six months. He was also sentenced for knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order. Vasile Ciubotaru, 45, of Balfour Road, Ilford, was jailed for four years and eight months. Ramonel Mandache, 51, of Henniker Gardens, East Ham, London, received three years.
How the card swap worked
Cheshire Police ran the investigation, known as Operation Rages, into a nationwide theft and fraud operation that included offences in Warrington and Widnes. Detectives identified numerous offences between October 2024 and August 2026. More than £40,000 was taken from victims across Cheshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and Kent.
Police said the men, all Romanian nationals, travelled the country to target elderly and vulnerable people at cash machines inside Halifax and Lloyds Bank branches. One offender stood close enough to see the victim enter their PIN. Another drew the victim's attention to a banknote that had been placed on the floor. A third member of the group then helped steal the victim's bank card and replaced it with a similar-looking one.
Believing they had taken their own card back from the machine, victims left the branch without knowing anything was wrong. The offenders then used the stolen card and PIN for cash withdrawals and purchases.
One victim lost £11,100 over almost two weeks before discovering the fraud. Many other victims were in their 70s and 80s. The offences listed by police ranged from £300 to £11,100 per theft, and the first took place at a Halifax branch in Widnes on 10 October 2024 with £950 stolen. A further £3,100 was taken at a Lloyds Bank in Widnes and £3,990 at a Lloyds Bank in Warrington, both in July 2026.
Enquiries also showed that the defendants fraudulently obtained cars using false driving licences, to disguise their identities and movements.
Arrest in Portsmouth
Cheshire Police officers arrested the three men in Portsmouth on 18 August 2026, after extensive CCTV enquiries identified them. Each made no comment on arrest.
Detective Sergeant Stephanie Bland, the senior investigating officer, said: "This was a highly organised criminal enterprise that deliberately targeted elderly and vulnerable members of the public for financial gain."
She added: "While many victims suffered significant financial losses, the lasting impact on their confidence and wellbeing cannot be underestimated." DS Bland said that most of the offences happened outside Cheshire, but officers were determined to identify those responsible and bring them before the courts.
Source: Hits Radio