The Orange County District Attorney’s Office says 48 people suspected of being tied to Romanian organized crime organizations have been arrested as part of a widespread operation that stole hundreds of thousands from California’s public assistance programs.
Among those arrested is Florin Duduianu, who authorities say is one of the most wanted men in Romania.
Members of the group would install card skimming devices at checkout stands, ATMs and gas pumps across the area to steal EBT card information meant to provide help to low-income Californians.
The suspects would then use the illegally obtained cash to fund their lavish lifestyles, including the purchase of luxury cars, according to the D.A.’s Office.
One man in Cypress who was arrested by Orange County investigators was found to have $30,000 in cash and 60 cloned EBT cards with stolen card numbers and PINs.
A suspect in Brea had $27,000 cash and 42 cloned cards.
During a search in Seal Beach, investigators uncovered more than 200 cloned cards and $14,000 stuffed in a suspect’s glove box. That suspect made repeated trips to a convenience store ATM to make illegal withdrawals, officials said.
The CalWORKs program provides cash aid to dependent families. It has been the frequent target of scammers and thieves and is drained of millions of dollars in fraud cases every year.
Although the crimes might not appear to be violent, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said these crimes leave many victims in their wake.
“The victims are single mothers struggling to put a roof over their children’s’ heads and food on the table and hardworking people who need a helping hand who find themselves standing at the checkout line with bags full of groceries only to be humiliated when they find that they have no money in their account because a thief has surreptitiously taken everything,” Spitzer said.
One such victim is Marina Sorensen, who told KTLA’s Chip Yost that her EBT card was hacked last fall and she was forced to go nearly two months without any assistance.
“I didn’t know what to do, I went hungry for two months,” she said.
The District Attorney has publicly called for changes to the CalWORKs program, asking for Gov. Gavin Newsom to order the state to implement better protection for EBT cards, including chip technology which offers better protection from scammers.
In the meantime, authorities have provided tips to minimize the risk of having your EBT information stolen. That includes inspecting the card reader before completing a purchase, covering the card numbers during the transaction to prevent any hidden cameras from stealing the information and changing your PIN regularly.
If you think you were a victim of EBT theft you can call 800-281-9799.
For more information about the suspects and the charges they face, click here.