The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, in coordination with multiple law enforcement agencies, has dismantled a credit card skimming operation that prevented an estimated $5.2 million in potential losses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
On Friday, March 7, 2025, Irving Police officers arrested two Romanian citizens, Petruta Camelia Ciuperca, 34, and Alexandru Constantin, 34, both of whom are in the country illegally. They were booked into the Irving Jail at 4:37 p.m. the same day and transferred to the Dallas County Jail the following day.
According to Irving PD, one of the skimmer devices was located inside of an ATM at the Walgreens, 1050 W Shady Grove Rd in South Irving. Both suspects were living at the Hawke Apartment Homes at 4521 W. Pioneer Dr in West Irving.
Ciuperca’s bond was set at $120,000, while Constantin’s bond was set at $76,500. Immigration authorities have requested an ICE hold on both individuals. Additionally, Los Angeles County authorities placed a hold on Ciuperca for pending fraud charges. Both remain incarcerated awaiting a court date.
During a search warrant executed at the suspects’ residence, officers discovered a skimmer factory where devices were being constructed for attachment to ATMs. Authorities seized hundreds of altered credit cards containing stolen victim information, approximately $16,000 in cash, and various tools and equipment used to manufacture skimming devices.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Irving Police Department, Grand Prairie Police Department, Garland Police Department, Euless Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division of North Texas TAG.
