International organised group arrested for bank card forgery

Police officers of the Federal Police Administration, as part of activities to shed light on criminal offences related to computer crime, which in the previous period were committed throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighbouring countries, identified an international organised criminal group specialised in committing the criminal offences of „Forgery of credit cards and other cashless payment cards“, as well as the production and distribution of tools and programmes adapted for committing the said criminal offence.

This group has, in the period so far, caused material damage to one of the banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the amount of 130,000.00 BAM. 

On 25 March 2016, through operational work by police officers of the Federal Police Administration, suspects, locations and vehicles they use were identified. On the same day, under the supervision of the acting prosecutor of the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo Canton, searches of the suspects' premises were carried out in the Sarajevo area. On that occasion, three Bulgarian nationals and one citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who are linked to the commission of the aforementioned criminal offences, were deprived of their liberty.

During the search of the rented apartment used by the suspects, a mobile laboratory with highly sophisticated electronic equipment was found and temporarily seized, which was used for counterfeiting credit cards and manufacturing devices for counterfeiting them (MSR devices, „skimmers“, micro audio-video devices for recording data, with specific devices for jamming/diverting radio signals, sketches and plans for manufacturing „skimming“ devices, as well as several hundred counterfeit bank cards, sophisticated computer equipment, and a certain amount of money. 

The suspects have been processed and questioned in the official premises of the Federal Police Administration, and will be handed over to the acting prosecutor of the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo later today, due to reasonable suspicion that they committed the criminal offences of „Association for the Purpose of Committing a Criminal Offence“ under Article 340 of the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in connection with the criminal offence of „Forgery of Credit and Other Cashless Payment Cards“ under Article 257 of the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and „Production, Procurement, Possession, Sale and Making Available for Use of Means for Forgery“ under Article 260 of the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Given the amount of evidence found in digital form, as well as other evidence, after expert examinations have been conducted, it will be possible to determine the amount of damage caused by the activities of the aforementioned organised criminal group.

Police officers of the Federal Police Administration continue to work on this specific case with the aim of identifying third parties involved in committing the said criminal offence.