Reports of theft using credit cards are nothing new. The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) and CyberScout reported that there had been over 1, 500 credit card data breaches in 2017 alone. The prior 5 years saw much the same amount of breaches too.
Of course, many of the offenders go uncaught. They skim people of money and walk away without fear of being apprehended by the authorities. That’s the same thing Yuvann Luis Noa and Marzolis Menes Tur had been doing before karma finally caught up to them late last month.
Skimming, or the use of an equipment to record a victim’s credit card details and use it illegally, was the preferred way of theft by the aforementioned Cuban nationals. The criminal duo was husband and wife and had managed to steal thousands of dollars ($71, 196) off unsuspecting victims in McAllen, Texas.
Yuvann Luis Noa, aged 34, and his wife Marzolis Menes Tur, aged 33, were both arrested and charged with 3 counts of unlawful use of a criminal instrument. In layman’s terms, a criminal instrument is anything that is not an offense or not intended to be used to commit an offense but is adapted and use in the commission of an offense. In the case of the Yuvann and his wife, the criminal instruments they utilized were the skimming devices found at their residence: a credit card reader, encoder, and writer. The crimes mostly occurred at ATMs were the duo had installed these skimming devices. One gas station in particular (Exxon) was abused multiple times by Yuvann and Marzolis.
Investigations on the incident are still ongoing but sources inside the McAllen Police Department claim the couple could face more charges. Such as it is, Yuvann faces 26 counts of credit card abuse while his wife faces 20 counts of the exact same charge. Both of them face a sentence of up to 2 years if convicted.
The police advise people to patronize newer gas pumps because they are installed with devices that prompt the gas pumps to shut down when tampered with. Better yet, residents are encouraged to pay with hard cash if possible. People that believe they are victims of skimming are advised and encouraged to contact the McAllen Police Department.
