Three members of an organised crime gang have been jailed for stealing more than £40,000 from pensioners across the country using a distraction trick at cash machines. Ionut Matei, 40, Vasile Ciubotaru, 45, and Ramonel Mandache, 51, targeted victims using ATMs at Halifax bank branches, including in Stockport and Bury, and at Lloyds Bank.
How the scam worked
Detectives found that Matei, Ciubotaru and Mandache, who are all Romanian nationals, travelled across the country during their enterprise. One of the men would stand close enough to see victims entering their PIN into the cash machine, while another distracted them by drawing attention to a banknote deliberately placed on the floor nearby, Cheshire Police said.
The third man would then swipe the victim's bank card and replace it with a similar-looking card. Victims were left unaware that their card had been stolen, and the gang would use the stolen cards and PIN to withdraw cash and buy items, often before the victims realised what had happened.
Victims and investigation
One victim lost £11,100 over two weeks, police said. Other victims, many in their 70s and 80s, also lost significant sums. Cheshire Police launched Operation Rages, and enquiries revealed the men were also fraudulently obtaining cars using false driving licences to disguise their identities and movements. More than £40,000 was stolen from victims between October 2024 and August 2026.
People were targeted across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and Kent. On August 18 this year, the three men were arrested in Portsmouth following extensive CCTV enquiries. Each made no comment on arrest.
Sentencing
The trio were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday (October 19) after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, Cheshire Police said. Matei, of no fixed abode, was jailed for five years and six months, and also sentenced for knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order. Ciubotaru, 45, of Balfour Road, Ilford, was jailed for four years and eight months. Mandache, 51, of Henniker Gardens, East Ham, London, was jailed for three years.
Detective Sergeant Stephanie Bland, Senior Investigating Officer for Operation Rages, said: "This was a highly organised criminal enterprise that deliberately targeted elderly and vulnerable members of the public for financial gain. While many victims suffered significant financial losses, the lasting impact on their confidence and wellbeing cannot be underestimated."
Bland added: "Operation Rages was a complex investigation spanning multiple force areas but in policing, there are no borders, and even though a majority of these offences occurred outside of Cheshire, our officers were determined to identify those responsible for these crimes, bring them before the courts, and provide reassurance to victims and the wider public."
The full list of incidents includes thefts at Halifax branches in Widnes, Leek, Arnold, Beeston, Mansfield, Stockport, Mexborough, and Bury, and at Lloyds Bank branches in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Cannock, Widnes, Warrington, and Chatham, with amounts ranging from £300 to £11,100.
