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Three Romanian nationals have been jailed for a combined total of more than 13 years after conspiring to steal more than £40,000 from elderly and vulnerable bank customers across England, including an £800 theft at a Lloyds Bank branch in Chatham, Kent, on 17 August 2026. The organised group used distraction tactics at cash machines to steal bank cards and obtain victims’ PINs, enabling them to make unauthorised withdrawals and purchases before their victims realised they had been targeted.
Ionut Matei, 40, Vasile Ciubotaru, 45, and Ramonel Mandache, 51, were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on 19 October 2026 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to steal and conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation. Their sentences total 13 years and two months, according to the individual terms provided.
Matei, who has no fixed abode, received five years and six months in prison. He was also sentenced for knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order.
Ciubotaru, of Balfour Road, Ilford, was jailed for four years and eight months, while Mandache, of Henniker Gardens, East Ham, London, received a three-year prison sentence.
The convictions followed a multi-force investigation into a series of offences committed between October 2024 and August 2026. The group targeted customers using cash machines inside Halifax and Lloyds Bank branches, with offences reported across Cheshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and Kent.
The investigation, known as Operation Rages, was led by Cheshire Police and involved extensive CCTV enquiries to establish the suspects’ movements and identify those responsible.
Investigators found that the group operated using a coordinated method designed to exploit customers’ trust and divert their attention while they used cash machines.
One member positioned themselves close enough to observe a victim entering their personal identification number, or PIN. Another deliberately placed a banknote on the floor nearby and drew the victim’s attention towards it.
While the customer was distracted, a third member helped steal the bank card and replace it with a similar-looking card. Believing they had retrieved their own card, the victim would leave the bank without immediately realising that it had been exchanged.
The group could then use the stolen card alongside the observed PIN to withdraw cash or make purchases. In some cases, the transactions continued before victims discovered the theft and had an opportunity to contact their banks.
The method relied on several people carrying out different roles, allowing the group to exploit a brief moment of inattention during an otherwise routine banking transaction.
The offences had serious financial consequences for customers, many of whom were in their seventies and eighties.
One victim lost £11,100 over a period of almost two weeks before discovering the fraud. Other victims also suffered significant losses, according to Cheshire Police.
The £800 theft at the Lloyds Bank branch in Chatham took place on 17 August 2026. The following day, 18 August, officers arrested all three defendants in Portsmouth after CCTV enquiries helped investigators identify them.
Police also discovered that the defendants had fraudulently obtained cars using false driving licences, an apparent attempt to disguise their identities and movements while travelling between locations.
The investigation linked offences across several police force areas, highlighting how organised groups can move between counties while targeting customers at different branches of the same banking networks.
Detective Sergeant Stephanie Bland, the senior investigating officer, said the group had deliberately targeted elderly and vulnerable members of the public for financial gain.
She also emphasised that the consequences extended beyond the immediate financial losses, with victims’ confidence and wellbeing potentially affected long after the incidents.
“This was a highly organised criminal enterprise that deliberately targeted elderly and vulnerable members of the public for financial gain,” Bland said.
She added that the investigation had been complex and had crossed multiple police force boundaries. Although many offences occurred outside Cheshire, officers remained determined to identify those responsible, bring them before the courts and reassure victims and the wider public.
Daily Dazzling Dawn understands that Operation Rages brought together investigative work spanning multiple regions, with CCTV evidence playing a central role in identifying the suspects and supporting the case that led to their guilty pleas and imprisonment.
The case highlights the importance of remaining alert when using cash machines, particularly when strangers attempt to attract attention or create an unexpected distraction.
Customers should shield the keypad when entering a PIN, check that the card returned by a machine is their own and avoid allowing an unfamiliar person to interrupt a transaction. Anyone who suspects their card has been exchanged or stolen should contact their bank immediately to report the incident and request that the card be blocked.
Victims should also report suspected fraud to the police and preserve relevant transaction details where possible. Acting quickly may help prevent further unauthorised payments, although recovery of stolen money is not guaranteed.
For older customers and their families, the case is a reminder that seemingly minor distractions can form part of a coordinated theft. The convictions and prison sentences mark the conclusion of the court proceedings described in this case, while the wider message remains clear: vigilance around cash machines and prompt reporting can help reduce the risk of further losses.
Daily Dazzling Dawn will continue to report on significant UK crime cases and developments affecting communities and vulnerable residents.
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