Alex Trelinski
THREE men have been arrested in Alicante for robbing elderly people as they withdrew cash from ATMs.
The accused Romanian trio have been charged with seven counts of fraud after allegedly stealing over €11,000.
The Policia Nacional said the men had an ‘extensive criminal history’.
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The group are said to have approached their targets at cash machines straight after they put in their bank card and entered their PIN number.
They’d distract victims by showing them a leaflet or even suggesting that some banknotes had fallen to the ground.
As the diversion took place, one of the trio accessed the machine terminal to withdraw as much money as possible.
In some instances, the victims were assaulted.
To hinder detection, the men used false identities and hid their faces.
After combing through ATM videos, the police set up an operation to catch the trio, who were detained while they were in a car looking for new targets.
Their vehicle contained fake documents and bank cards not in their names.
The Policia Nacional has warned people to take care when using a cash machine and to ensure they are not watched when keying in their PIN number,
