Cash point scammer took picture of his baby surrounded by banknotes
A cash-card scammer who stole thousands of pounds from East
Yorkshire was today starting a five-year sentence.
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Adu Bunu's child plays with thousands of pounds worth of banknotes
Adu Bunu, 34, of St Oswald Road, Wakefield was convicted at
Hull Crown Court of conspiracy to steal for his part in a
card-skimming operation with a potential profit of £1.1m.
The scam targeted cash machines outside supermarkets
including Morrisons in Beverley and Waitrose in Willerby.
A picture found on his mobile phone shows his baby son
sitting on a mound of cash Bunu had obtained by cloning card
details and withdrawing money from people's bank accounts.
Another picture recovered by police showed his wife stuffing
£20 notes into a suitcase.
Bunu claimed he had taken the photo to show relatives in
Romania how much money his friends had given him for his son's
christening.
But the court heard police had observed him withdrawing
money from cash machines around the country.
They began a covert surveillance operation on his movements
after he was recognised by a police officer who has stopped him
for speeding.
The photos were discovered when flat was raided on January
29. Police also found a laptop with 65 account details stored
on it, two mobile phones with text messages including stolen
bank account details, money transfer forms and about £4,000 in
cash.
They also found a BMW parked outside, which the court heard
was one of two “pool cars” the painter and decorator used to
travel around the country.
Officers also raided a flat at The Point, Wakefield,
belonging to his alleged associate Florin Palade.
It is believed Palade, 33, operated under a number of
aliases and had returned to Romania before officers swooped
in.
The court heard the flat, to which Bunu had a key, was the
“factory” where the operation was run from.
Officers recovered more than 1,900 account details, eight
false cashpoint fronts, detailed lists of supermarkets around
the country, card-cloning devices and about £3,250 in cash.
Bunu's fingerprints were found on tape used to stick the
false fronts onto cash machines, on the inside of a bin liner
one of the fronts was stored in, and on a number of handwritten
lists of account details and supermarket locations.
The banks estimate the pair used the account details to
steal about £43,000, but that they could have stolen around
£1.1m if they had used all of the 2,000 sets of details they
had obtained.
Bunu admitted theft, but denied conspiracy to steal.
However, detectives investigating the thefts said they believe
he was operating as part of an international criminal gang.
36 Comments
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by Danielle, Work
Wednesday, July 23 2008, 12:23PM
“On crimewatch 8 out of 10 of the 10 most wanted were foreign. I know that gives no right to be stereotypical but there is clearly a pattern.”
by Anonymous, of Eastern Prussia
Wednesday, July 23 2008, 9:42AM
“They are mostly British as people are scared of speaking up against, let alone convict those of other cultures lest they be branded as 'Islamophobic' or 'racist' by the multicultural, PC loving bandwagon that this country encourages.”
by garry, hull
Wednesday, July 23 2008, 7:31AM
“boilingpoint, uk your right in what you say its about time the British woke up. and to all you narrow minded morons who know nothing ,if you took a peek inside a British prison you'd see that the vast majority of convicts are white British.”
by Susie, Hull
Tuesday, July 22 2008, 11:24PM
“Sorry, I wrote that in a hurry. I apologise for being human and making some word errors.”
by Susie, Hull
Tuesday, July 22 2008, 11:20PM
“Erm boiling point, what gives you the right to call anyone 'narrow minded'? Do you know us? Are you actually John, my mate from round the corner? No. I didn't think so.
The government does what it wants when it wants and to be honest if it carries on like it does then 10 years down the line I might not stick around.
But I'll just have you know, not even in Hull is on benefits. Not everyone thinks that immigration is bringing on the destruction of our society. Sure taxes are at a very volatile place right now, as is 'security' with our streets littered with big brother cameras. But tell me Mr/Mrs 'UK', when did you last have time to protest? More to the point, when did you last hear of a protest to our government that worked? Good for you for working hard and being opinionated, but please don't judge yourself above others that you know nothing about.”
by boilingpoint, uk
Tuesday, July 22 2008, 10:24PM
“Indeed the guy didn't do a clever move to survive. But hey if the gov laundering money why shouldn't we.
The media keep you busy to watch what little people, ordinary people do so that you don't see/know what the reality is behind all that. I petty you, you have got the most narrowing minds I have ever come across.”
by boilingpoint, uk
Tuesday, July 22 2008, 10:11PM
“to Pete, Kevin, The Moon!, Rad. For your information I am not Romanian, ha, ha, ha, you thought you know it all. And I pay taxes for you to stay on benefits, coz u r lazy B*****, and that you can't be bother to wake up in the morning to get a job, or because you can't even speak your native language.These eastern people they don't only have to work but they have to learn your native language that you can't grasp and work like slaves. Those people should be respected. And how is your country compared to eastern country! wake up you are not on the moon.Can't you see? everywhere you look people are poorer and poorer.Tax,Tax,Tax,next will be taxing you for breathing.And I tell you this is not because of eastern people.This is because of the ignorance you showed to your own state.''You can't be bother to protest for that it doesn't affect me''.i.eCan you go anywhere without being watched by your own gov, citycouncil cameras...etc.NO.I am not saying that the guy did the right thing.”
by Susie, Hull
Tuesday, July 22 2008, 8:59PM
“Without being so pedantic, I can see what Pete is saying. We are a country that let's murderers, rapists and theives off with a slap on the wrist (something I don't say without experience!) while other countries have much more severe punishments. I certainly wouldn't go as far as saying corporal punishment is right. Neither would I say that some of the things Saudi Arabia do are right either, but that's my opinion and it is influenced by my feelings of a country that treats women so terribly. The government should be giving harsher sentences to those who would otherwise be deported and left without punishment. Those photos with his child and the money, he hardly did it by accident.”
by Jonathan, Hull
Tuesday, July 22 2008, 7:10PM
“It might just be me, but almost every article I see concerning criminal convictions these days involves at least one foreign defendant. Are they really foreigners, or do they just change their names to foreign names by deed poll before they appear in court, to make Britons look good? I accept that not all immigrants are criminals. Perhaps just 90% of them are. However, if we kick them all out, I can imagine a large drop in crime being one of the beneficial results.”
by Nelly, Hull
Tuesday, July 22 2008, 5:14PM
“Pete ..if you get caught drinking alcohol in saudi and get 5 years you cant complain....its againts the law there.Respect the laws of the country you are in ! and if a country is good enough to give you place to stay becuase yours is full of violence and fear respect them for it! Dont rob from the hands that feed you. ok ?”