RING INVOLVED IN COUNTERFEIT PLASTIC CARD TRANSACTIONS DETECTED IN ARMENIA

ARKA
Aug 28, 2008

YEREVAN, August 28. /ARKA/. Armenia’s National Security Service
detained an international criminal ring involving three Romanians and
a Latvian, the Press Center of the National Security Council reported.

In August the group cashed about 263,000 U.S. dollars with counterfeit
plastic cards through ATMs of branches of VTB (Armenia), Anelik,
Unibank and Conversbank in Yerevan and the regions of Armenia, the
Press Center reported.

The National Security Service found 160 counterfeit plastic cards,
a lot of foreign currency and Armenian Drams in hotel rooms of the
group members, says the report. Counterfeit transactions were effected
through bank accounts of clients of Barclays British bank.

According to the report, efforts are made, together with the Interpol
and other international organizations, to completely detect the
criminal activities of the group. Most probably the group ran also
in a number of foreign countries, the report says.