Romanian national extradited to US for 17-year-old hacking scheme

According to Security Affairs, Romanian national Gavril Sandu, 53, has been extradited to the United States to face charges related to a hacking scheme that occurred nearly 17 years ago. Sandu was indicted in 2017 and arrested in Romania in 2026, marking the end of a lengthy cybercrime investigation.

Sandu appeared in a U.S. court following his extradition from Romania to face charges of bank fraud and conspiracy. Prosecutors allege that between May 2009 and October 2010, Sandu and his accomplices infiltrated small businesses' VoIP systems. They used these systems to conduct vishing attacks, impersonating banks to trick victims into divulging debit card and PIN numbers. The stolen credentials were then used to access accounts and steal funds.

Sandu allegedly processed these stolen credentials, created counterfeit magnetic stripe cards, and acted as a money mule by withdrawing cash from compromised ATMs and bank accounts, subsequently sharing the proceeds with co-conspirators. If convicted, Sandu faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

Source: Security Affairs