A Romanian man has been busted in Delano for running a skimming operation.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office announced the arrest of Bogdan Boceanu, 23, for using skimming devices and fraudulent EBT cards.
The big picture: Boceanu faces felony charges for grand theft, fraudulent use of access card, identity theft, possession of burglary tools, counterfeited transfer of EBT benefits and driving without a valid license.
Driving the news: Kern County investigators and the California Department of Social Services EBT Fraud and Theft Detection Unit conducted a sting operation on March 1 when they identified Boceanu fraudulently withdrawing funds from an ATM in Delano.
- Investigators seized 36 cloned EBT cards and $4,030 in cash.
- Boceanu was previously identified by the District Attorney’s Office on a previous theft of funds investigation and had a warrant for his arrest issued for burglary, attempted grand theft, fraudulent possession of a scanning device and vandalism.
Zoom out: The Department of Social Services reported that fraud has decreased in Kern County since the District Attorney’s Office boosted its efforts to combat skimming.
- Fraud in the county totaled over $386,000 last October and came down to around $159,000 in February.
What she’s saying: “Protecting a resource that is vital to many families in our community remains a top priority for our office,” said District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer. “We will continue to relentlessly pursue this mission and send a clear message to anyone attempting to exploit the system.”
