A high-tech thief who preyed on unwitting gas station customers by installing a sophisticated card skimming scheme at pumps throughout Southern California has been sentenced to 41 months in prison on July 24, 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Haykaz Mansuryan, a 34-year-old man from Los Angeles, admitted his guilt in a conspiracy that saw over $1 million drained from victims' accounts as they filled up their tanks.
In revealing the extent of the operation, law enforcement agencies involved in the case said that Mansuryan had installed "skimmers"—customized electronic devices designed to steal unsuspecting victims' credit and debit card information at gas pumps throughout the Southern California region. Mansuryan was ordered to forfeit the $931,213.92 he personally received from the crime and to participate in paying restitution of $923,374.14 to the victims, along with his co-defendants. His sentencing draws attention to the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to tackle high-tech financial crime—a realm where the lines between criminality and the digital world are increasingly blurred.
While Mansuryan's role focused on installing the skimming devices, the wider conspiracy relied on a network of co-conspirators with complementary roles. According to a case filing issued in September 2021, these individuals built skimmers, distributed them, and installed them at gas stations, acquiring victims' account information during otherwise legitimate transactions. They then created unauthorized debit and credit cards encoded with the stolen information to make fraudulent cash withdrawals from ATMs, purchase goods, and charge unwitting victims' accounts with unauthorized payments. Their actions took place between February 2017 and September 2021 across Southern California and other areas.
This high-profile case not only highlights the vulnerability of our electronic financial systems but also the rapid growth in identity theft crime involving networks of criminal actors collaborating to exploit weaknesses in transactional technologies. The case against Mansuryan's co-defendants is ongoing, providing further evidence of law enforcement's determination to clamp down on this modern-day scourge. The prosecution of one of those alleged to have crafted the scheme, 40-year-old Robert Fichidzhyan of North Hollywood, led to a sentence of 41 months in prison earlier this year for his role in building the very skimmers used by Mansuryan and others. In addition, a Justice Department report shared details on Fichidzhyan's sentence, including $619,923.45 in restitution, demonstrating that the penalties for such crimes can be heavy and severe.
The authorities' focus on tackling this issue has resulted in an impressive response from numerous agencies and partners. Significant contributions in the Mansuryan investigation came from sources such as the Internal Revenue Service, the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, the Glendale Police Department, the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Bureau of Weights and Measures, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, and other state, local, and federal law enforcement partners. Furthermore, the private sector also played a crucial role in addressing the issue, with the National Cyber-Forensics Training Alliance (NCTFA) providing essential assistance alongside financial sector partnerships.
The successful prosecution of Mansuryan and other individuals like him emphasizes the importance of remaining vigilant and cautious about the safeguarding of personal financial data in an increasingly digital world. With the future of finance uncertain, cases like this one remind us that, while technology continues to advance at an unprecedented pace, it remains an unfortunate fact that criminals will continue to seek new and inventive ways to exploit unsuspecting citizens. For anyone who believes they may be a victim of financial identity theft, the U.S. Department of Justice's large case website offers useful resources and information to help protect against future fraud.
