Two men already accused of using a skimmer device to steal customers’ credit card information at supermarkets in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are also accused of using a device to steal the identities of customers at a North Huntingdon supermarket, according to township police.
Thomas Fuchs, 34, of Pittsburgh, and Alexandru Dumitrascu, 39, address unknown, are accused of using a credit card reader to steal customers’ identification information at the Shop ‘n Save store at 12120 Route 30, according to North Huntingdon police.
The credit card information could also allow a person to steal money from a customer’s bank account, use it illegally to make purchases and clone the credit card, police said.
The credit card skimmer was found in a cash register on July 4, four days after the manager of a North Huntingdon supermarket said he had not found such a device during an earlier inspection.
However, the two suspects were allegedly seen on video surveillance from the store on June 28, police said. Police learned they were in North Huntingdon on June 28 because their license plate was captured on a license plate reader and matched the license plate of a vehicle they were driving at a Scott Township convenience store, court records show.
The two face similar charges following a similar incident at supermarkets in Plum and Scott Township. Dumitrascu is also accused of a similar incident in North Versailles.
Fuchs waived his right to a preliminary hearing before North Huntingdon District Judge Henry Moore on Friday on charges of theft and conspiracy to commit identity theft, transferring encrypted information from one electronic device to another, using a device to record or retrieve encrypted information from a device and possessing instruments of the crime. Fuchs remains incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh.
Dumitrascu, also an inmate at the Allegheny County Jail, was arraigned Friday before Moore on the same charges as Fuchs in the North Huntingdon incident. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 23.
Joe Napsha is a reporter for TribLive covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. Reach him at [email protected].
