Bulgarian caught withdrawing cash using cloned ATM cards

A Bulgarian national has been arrested for allegedly withdrawing money from an automated teller machine (ATM)  using several cloned cards at a mall in Taguig City.

Simeon Tsennov Lefterski, 28, was apprehended on Nov. 6 at Market! Market! in Bonifacio Global City after a mall security guard alerted policemen.

According to the guard, Lefterski was observed making repeated withdrawals using several ATM cards. It later turned out that these cards had been cloned.

When approached and confronted by the police, Lefterski  denied the allegation. He was later invited by the police to the mall security office where they confirmed through the footage taken by a closed-circuit television camera the guard’s allegations against him. As a result, he was immediately placed under arrest.

Recovered from Lefterski were 43 ATM cards, an alien certificate of registration and cash amounting to P31,840, among others.

The Taguig police later confirmed—with the help of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Bank of the Philippine Islands—that 39 of the cards recovered from Lefterski had been cloned.

Lefterski now faces charges of violating Republic Act 8484 known as the “Access Devices Regulation Act of 1998.”

In a statement, the National Capital Region Police Office chief, Director Joel Pagdilao, lauded the actions of the policemen involved in the Bulgarian’s arrest.

At the same time, he acknowledged the importance of the role of mall security officers in the fight against crime.

“I am encouraging our people to continue to help our police by informing them about suspicious things, people and occurrences around them,” Pagdilao said.