Felony warrants issued for 2 accused of installing credit card skimmers at Austin Walmart

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police received arrest warrants from a Travis County Judge for two men it accused of illegally installing credit card skimmer devices at self-checkout registers in a north Austin Walmart.

According to two affidavits connected to the case, the warrants accuse Nicu Mihai, 28, and Ovidiu Simion Oprea, 38, for unlawful interception, use, or disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications, which is a second-degree felony.

Mihai and Oprea allegedly installed credit card skimmer devices at two self-checkout registers at the Walmart located at 2525 W Anderson Ln. in March.

According to the affidavits, a credit card overlay skimmer, commonly referred to as a card skimmer, is a “criminal devicе manufactured by suspects for the sole purpose of illegally capturing victim card/account data.”

Card skimmers are most frequently placed on point-of-sale terminals at gas pumps, retail checkout lines, in ATM or ITMs, or in any other point-of-sale system that requires a customer to insert or swipe their card to complete a transaction, according to the affidavits. Depending on the type of skimmer and payment terminal, suspects can capture victims’ card number, personal identification numbers (PIN), fleet driver codes, or zip codes from the magnetic stripe of payment cards, the affidavits noted.

Walmart issued the following statement:

“Walmart works hard to keep our customers safe from scammers and other criminals seeking to harm our customers. Walmart’s robust anti-fraud program has been effective at fighting fraud and continuously evolves to respond to the fraudsters’ ever-changing tactics.”
Kelly Hellbusch 
Global Communications | Corporate Affairs for Walmart

On March 13, around 3:12 p.m., Austin emergency communication services received a call from someone at the Walmart reporting that two skimmer devices had been found. Austin Police Department officers arrived at the scene about 30 minutes later, the affidavits said.

According to the affidavits, a Walmart loss prevention agent told APD that a customer found one of the card skimmers and reported it, and the loss prevention agent found another. The agent provided APD with surveillance footage of the suspects placing the devices the night before, on March 12, around 8 p.m.

Three suspects were involved in placing the skimmer devices, according to the affidavits. Their descriptions are below:

Suspect 1: White male, medium build, brown full beard, black jacket, peach colored shirt and shorts, black and white shoes.
Suspect 2: White male, thin build, light brown beard, white Vineyard Vines hat, black jacket, black Guess shirt with gold vertical stripe, jean shorts with tears and patches.
Suspect 3: White male, large build, scruffy beard, neck-length hair, wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, light blue shorts, and a light blue hat with “DUBS” on it.

According to the affidavits, the video surveillance footage showed Suspects 1 and 2 enter the store together, and Suspect 3 entered alone. Suspects 1 and 2 went to the self-checkout area together and approached a register, where Suspect 2 placed a skimmer device while Suspect 1 scanned and checked out items to “provide further distraction from Suspect 2’s actions,” the affidavits said.

Suspect 3 went to a different register and placed a skimmer on that one, then completed a transaction “to avoid being observed,” the affidavits said. Suspect 2 went to “assist” Suspect 3 and pushed the skimmer onto the register “to secure fit and conceal its presence,” according to the affidavits.

APD alleges that Suspect 2 was Ovidiu Simion Oprea, and Suspect 3 was Nicu Mihai, according to the affidavits. Suspect 1 was not identified, and it’s not clear if he will also face charges, but KXAN reached out to APD for more information. This story will be updated if we receive a response.

Oprea and Mihai each face one count of unlawful interception, use, or disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications, a second-degree felony.

In Texas, an individual found guilty of a second-degree felony could face two to 20 years in prison and may be required to pay a fine of up to $10,000, according to the Texas Penal Code.