Iulian Dolan, Payment Card Data Theft, New Hampshire 2011

In a shocking revelation, two Romanian nationals have pleaded guilty to participating in an international, multimillion-dollar scheme to remotely hack into and steal payment card data from hundreds of US merchants’ computers.

Iulian Dolan, 28, of Craiova, Romania, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit access device fraud.

Dolan admitted that, from in or about 2009-2011, he participated in Romanian-based conspiracies with co-conspirator Adrian-Tiberiu Oprea to hack into hundreds of US-based computers to steal credit, debit and payment account numbers and associated data.

The conspiracies involved more than 146,000 compromised cards and more than $10 million in losses, according to federal prosecutors.

Dolan and Oprea remotely hacked into US merchants’ ‘point-of-sale’ (POS) or ‘check out’ computer systems, where customers’ payment card data was electronically stored.

Dolan received approximately $5,000 – $7,500 in cash and personal property from Oprea for his efforts.

Cezar Butu, 27, of Ploiesti, Romania, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud.

In his plea agreement, Butu admitted that he repeatedly asked Oprea to provide him with stolen payment card data and that Oprea provided him with instructions for how to access the website where Oprea had stored a portion of the stolen payment card data.

This case is a stark reminder of the dangers of cybercrime and the importance of protecting sensitive information.

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire and the US Secret Service, Manchester, N.H., Resident Office, have been working tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice.

The defendants will be sentenced at a later date.

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