The Chino Police Department on Friday announced the arrest of a suspect following an extensive investigation into an organized EBT fraud and ATM skimming operation.
According to the department, investigators with the Criminal Investigations Bureau recovered fraudulent EBT cards, ATM skimming devices, computers, cell phones, cash and hundreds of cards believed to have been used to encode stolen EBT and ATM information.
The investigation also determined that the suspect was an international fugitive from Eastern Europe who was wanted for organized crime and human and child trafficking offenses, police said.
Authorities said the investigation disrupted what they described as a sophisticated fraud operation targeting EBT recipients.
This type of fraud targets the supply chain and accounts payable departments of businesses.
- Invoice Manipulation: Criminals intercept a legitimate invoice between a supplier and a client and change the banking details to their own. The client pays the bill thinking they are paying their trusted vendor.
- Kickbacks and Bribery: A vendor secretly pays an employee of the purchasing company to ensure their bid is successful or to overlook inflated pricing.