Police: Chicago man charged in Dixon bank fraud involving ATM skimming device

DIXON – An 18-year-old Chicago man accused of putting a skimming device on a Dixon bank ATM to steal PIN and debit card numbers is charged with identity theft of more than $150,000, which could net him up to 30 years in prison.

Ionut Giuliano Boboc is charged with identity theft for trying “to fraudulently obtain more than $150,000,″ according to the charging document filed Thursday in Lee County court.

Boboc also is charged with identity theft of between $10,000 and $100,000, which is punishable by four to 15 years.

He is free and has a preliminary hearing Oct. 25.

This ATM skimmer had two parts: a camera to read numbers disguised to look like part of the ATM and a part inserted into the card slot that also read numbers.

In some cases, the numbers are used to make duplicate cards.

In this case, however, any money taken simply would have been siphoned off into another account, State’s Attorney Charley Boonstra said.

According to a Dixon police news release issued Friday and court documents, Midland States Bank, 212 N. Hennepin Ave., contacted the department Wednesday to report finding the device in the drive-thru.

Coordinating with other agencies, detectives established a pattern by individuals placing the devices.

Boboc, who Boonstra said is believed to work for a group of thieves, was captured on video surveillance placing the device and arrested when he returned.

The investigation is ongoing, according to the release.

Police also are reminding people to check their bank accounts regularly and report fraudulent activity to the bank and to police.

Organized fraud rings and fraudulent use of skimming devices are becoming more prevalent.

From May 10 to June 8, a skimmer at the Dixon Walmart stole SNAP data from 2,815 people, whose benefits subsequently were suspended, the Illinois Department of Human Services said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the FBI are investigating the thefts, which occurred after “a tightly fitted skimmer was installed over the top of the original card-reading device,” the DHS said.

There is no word yet on whether anyone was arrested in that investigation.

The two incidents are not related, except that they are part of the growing trend, Sgt. Ryan Bivins said.