Latest news with #Cataraga
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Internationally wanted man found with 130 credit cards in Porter County
PORTER COUNTY, Ind. — An internationally wanted man was charged with several counts related to fraud after he was arrested Saturday in Porter County. Just after 2 p.m. a DEA agent was parked near mile marker 36 on I-90 when he observed a vehicle with dark window tint following a semi-truck 'dangerously' close. The driver, later identified as Anatolie Cataraga, 41, of Philadelphia, was pulled over around mile marker 40 and gave the agent a false name, according to court documents. Cataraga said he spoke Russian and the agent communicated with him using a translator device. The agent noticed 'unusual wear and tear' near the central air vent during a search, according to documents. Internationally wanted man found with 130 credit cards in Porter County The agent removed the vent and observed a black satchel inside of it. The satchel contained 130 cards, described as 'poor quality credit cards,' and a wallet containing three passports, one from Romania and two from Moldova. There was matching government ID's with Cataraga's face on them and multiple skimming devices were located as well, court documents allege. A Porter County detective went to the Hobart Police Department that evening to interview Cataraga. A Hobart detective told the responding detective that Cataraga had an active warrant out of Moldova by the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL). The Porter County detective scanned each bank card and found that none of them matched information to what was on the physical card. The detective noted in a court document that four digit codes were placed on the back of each card. Authorities allege Cataraga was using skimming devices and then re-coding the cards with stolen information. He was charged with four counts of fraud, identity deception and unlawful sale or possession of a transaction manipulation device. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Man from Moldova accused in credit card fraud scheme
A man wanted in his home country of Moldova was found to be in unlawful possession of 131 credit cards that didn't match his identity following a traffic stop on the Indiana Toll Road in Porter County this past weekend. Anatolie Cataraga, 41, who lives in Philadelphia, is charged with two Level 5 felonies of fraud on a financial institution and identity deception, because he is accused of having a passport under a false name. He also faces three Level 6 felony fraud charges and a single Level 6 felony count of unlawful possession of a card skimming device. It all began just after 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon when a Hobart Police officer, working on assignment for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), observed an eastbound car with a dark window tint following dangerously close to a semi-truck by the 36-mile marker on I-90. The Hobart police officer pulled the vehicle over at the 40-mile marker. The Russian-speaking driver identified himself as Constantin Catana with a Moldova government card. He didn't speak English well, so the officer used a translator device and asked permission to search the vehicle, which was granted. During the search of the vehicle, the officer observed unusual wear and tear near the center air vent on the dash. The officer removed the vent and found a black satchel, according to the probable cause statement filed in Porter County Superior Court. Within that satchel, there were 120 poor quality credit cards and a wallet that contained three passports — two from Moldova and one from the neighboring Romania in Eastern Europe. The two passports had different names: one for Cataraga — established as his true identity — and the other for Constantin Catana. All three passports had the same picture, according to the court record. Cataraga and the vehicle were brought to the Hobart Police station, where they were met later that afternoon by Special Agent Zachary Ashbrook of the U.S. Secret Service. At the Hobart Police station, it was learned that INTERPOL had an active warrant for Cataraga out of Moldova. Ashbrook observed that there were 131 access device cards with different identities than Cataraga. Using an electronic swipe card reader, Ashbrook scanned 130 of the access device cards and found none of them contained information matching that which was on the card. However, each card was associated with institutions insured by the FDIC. Additionally, four-digit codes were found written on the back of the device cards that were consistent with the pins for the number of each card. Ashbrook stated that the devices discovered in Cataraga's vehicle were consistent with card skimming devices that are placed on or over card swipes in order to obtain a person's identifying information and card information. The cards in Cataraga's possession were re-coded cards commonly used in identity theft and fraud cases, the court record says.
CBS News
13-05-2025
- CBS News
Man wanted on international warrant facing fraud charges, caught with 131 bogus credit cards in Indiana
A Moldovan national is facing multiple fraud charges in Indiana, after police found more than 130 fraudulent credit cards during a traffic stop over the weekend. Anatolie Cataraga, 41, of Philadelphia, has been charged with four felony counts of fraud, one felony count of identity deception, and one felony count of unlawful possession of a card skimming device. Shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday, a Hobart, Indiana, police officer working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration pulled over Cataraga along Interstate 90 in Porter County, after spotting him driving dangerously close to a semi-trailer truck, according to court records. After questioning Cataraga using a translating device because he is originally from Moldova and primarily speaks Russian, the officer searched his vehicle, and found 131 credit cards, and a wallet containing three passports – one Romanian and two Moldovan. Multiple card skimming devices also were found in the vehicle. All 131 credit cards bore the names of someone other than Cataraga and the registered owner of the vehicle. Each card also had four-digit codes written on the back, and when scanned with a card reader, none of them had information matching what was on the physical card. "The cards in possession were re-encoded cards that are commonly used in identity theft and fraud cases," according to the charges. Police later learned Cataraga was wanted on an international arrest warrant out of Moldova.
