14 DAY TRIAL // Moldavian nationals Adrian Baltaga, 25, and his brother, Gheorghe Baltaga, 26, have been arrested and charged by United Sates authorities for running a massive fraud scheme that caused losses of millions of dollars.
The two have been living in Fresno, California, where they had purchased an $800,000 (€594,000) house. The indictment and arrest warrants were unsealed on October 29.
According to Brian Krebs, the suspects hacked into the brokerage accounts of Fidelity Investment customers. The compromised accounts were used to set up fraudulent ACH links with prepaid debit cards.
The payment cards were then utilized to buy money orders from the US Postal Service and MoneyGram. The orders were deposited in accounts from which they could withdraw money at ATMs.
Sources familiar with the matter have told Krebs that, in 2012, the brothers were involved in the theft of $1.7 million (€1.26 million) from a company from Maryland.
The Baltaga brothers have been charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, wire fraud, aiding and abetting, and aggravated identity theft.