Romanian citizen arrested after credit card skimmers found at Wal-Marts along East Coast

Apr 1 / Robert Locklear
After several Wal-Mart stores in Central Virginia found credit card skimmers at customer check-outs, officials announced that a suspect has been arrested.

But the problem goes far beyond just the ABC13 viewing area in Central Virginia. According to officials, the same person is responsible for card skimmers throughout Virginia and up the East Coast. And the man suspected of the crime hails from much further away: the country of Romania in Europe.

The incidents began on Feb. 26, when the Bedford Police Department said they received the report of a credit card skimming device recovered from the Wal-Mart in Bedford. The device was found by personnel checking the credit card kiosks for skimming devices. An investigation began after police heard about what happened.

BPD said the trail led them to a male suspect matching the description of the suspected Bedford culprit. According to police, he had placed skimming devices at several other Wal-Marts through Virginia and several other states. BPD worked with other law enforcement to share the evidence they had; Wal-Mart Investigations, U.S. Secret Service, law enforcement from Lynchburg and Chesterfield County, and BPD worked together to locate the suspect in the Richmond area.

"The suspect was subsequently taken into custody by law enforcement without incident," BPD said. "The suspect in this matter has been identified as Florin Doroiman, a citizen of Romania."
On Friday the nearby Amherst County Sheriff's Office said their agency charged Doroiman with the unlawful use of payment card scanning devices and re-encoders.

ACSO asked shoppers to check their accounts for fraudulent activity if they shopped at the Madison Heights Wal-Mart on February 25. They also said EBT cards may have been targeted.

"It is our understanding that EBT card users may have been targeted," ACSO said.

Also on Friday the Bedford Police Department said they issued 10 felony arrest warrants against Doroiman for obtaining or withholding a credit card or credit card number from the person, possession, custody or control of another without the cardholder's consent. Each felony charge could send him to prison for 20 years.
He also faces the same misdemeanor he was charged with in Amherst County: the unlawful use of payment card scanning devices and re-encoders.

The Lynchburg Police Department said they have also obtained criminal charges against Doroiman; their department worked alongside the other agencies in tracking him down. LPD said they responded on February 25 to the Wards Road Wal-Mart for the report of a possible skimmer device found on a checkout terminal. The device was found during a routine morning equipment check; after reviewing footage, they found the skimmer had been installed less than a day before it was found there.