Federal prosecutors say a Romania-based organized crime ring quietly planted card-skimming devices on checkout machines in stores across the Cleveland area and parts of California, then drained hundreds of SNAP accounts before most of the crew was finally hauled in. According to the indictment, members allegedly copied stolen Electronic Benefit Transfer data onto cloned cards and sold those cards for thousands of dollars, leaving some benefit recipients to find their accounts suddenly empty. When investigators moved in, they say they uncovered a full-blown skimmer workshop stacked with parts.
Feds outline trans-state skimming operation
Prosecutors allege five Romanian nationals installed the devices between Feb. 24 and March 6, 2026, targeting point-of-sale terminals in Ohio and at least four cities in California. The setup allegedly gave the group access to roughly 981 food-stamp accounts and "tens of thousands" of dollars, according to Cleveland.com. Court filings say 13 skimmers turned up in California, including in Sacramento, Citrus Heights, San Bruno and San Francisco, while five devices were found in Ohio locations. Prosecutors also say the ring copied stolen account information onto new cards that were later sold for about $2,500 apiece.
Secret Service had already been sweeping terminals
The case surfaced after months of skimmer sweeps and outreach by federal agents. In January, the U.S. Secret Service and partner agencies inspected hundreds of point-of-sale terminals in Cleveland and pulled six illegal skimming devices during a multi-city operation, part of a larger push to protect EBT users that investigators say are frequent targets for overlay skimmers, as WOIO reported.
Raids, arrests and evidence seized
Court filings say investigators raided the group's residence on March 23, 2026, and found a skimmer workshop stocked with faceplates, skimmer designs, fake passports, forged driver's licenses and a doctored Costco card that prosecutors say was used to launder cloned data. Federal prosecutors have charged the five men with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, access-device fraud and identity theft. All but one defendant have been arrested, and arraignments are scheduled for Friday in federal court in Cleveland. One defendant, Ionut Ilie, is additionally accused of returning to the United States after being deported and pleaded not guilty at an April arraignment, according to Cleveland.com.
What shoppers and SNAP recipients should do
Officials and consumer-protection reporters urge anyone who used EBT or debit cards at the affected locations to check account balances, change PINs and report suspicious charges to their state agency and bank. Shoppers are advised to inspect card readers for loose or mismatched parts, run debit transactions as credit when possible and favor chip or contactless payments to cut down on risk. If you spot a terminal that looks tampered with, alert store staff and local police right away, WOIO advised.
