The Bulgarian ATM skimming case Aruba resulted in an eight-month prison sentence after a judge confirmed the prosecution’s request against a Bulgarian national convicted of financial fraud involving ATM machines.
The suspect, identified as Z.V.D. (45), was found guilty of participating in a scheme that involved skimming credit cards and withdrawing money from ATM machines belonging to Banco di Caribe. The court ruled that the evidence presented by prosecutors was sufficient to confirm the charges.
ATM Fraud Investigation
The Bulgarian ATM skimming case Aruba was heard in court on February 13, 2026, when prosecutors explained that two Bulgarian nationals, Z.V.D. and J.B., had allegedly falsified credit cards and carried out fraudulent transactions at ATMs in Aruba.
Authorities later confirmed that J.B. had already been deported from Aruba following the investigation.
Security camera footage played a key role in the case. Police were able to identify J.B. at one of the ATM machines through surveillance images.
Large Number of Transactions Detected
According to the evidence presented during the Bulgarian ATM skimming case Aruba, Mastercard provided Banco di Caribe with a list of suspicious transactions linked to the fraud.
The report revealed 115 transactions totaling approximately 80,000 florins that were connected to compromised credit cards.
Prosecutors explained that ATM skimming operations are often conducted by organized international groups that copy credit card data in order to create fake cards and withdraw money from bank machines.
Prosecutor’s Argument
During the Bulgarian ATM skimming case Aruba, the prosecutor argued that Z.V.D. and another suspect identified as K. had traveled to Aruba specifically to exploit vulnerabilities in ATM machines.
Investigators linked Z.V.D. to 11 fraudulent ATM transactions, which took advantage of a flaw in the ATM system. Video evidence showed the suspects operating at multiple Banco di Caribe ATM locations across the island.
The prosecutor requested a prison sentence of eight months, describing the case as part of an organized international fraud operation targeting banking systems.
Court Decision
In the final ruling on Friday morning, the judge stated that Mastercard had alerted Banco di Caribe after clients reported unauthorized withdrawals that occurred in Aruba even though the cardholders were not present on the island.
The defense attempted to argue that the security camera footage should be considered illegal evidence, but the judge rejected this request and ruled that the footage could be used in court.
Immigration records also confirmed that Z.V.D. and J.B. had entered Aruba in November 2024, supporting the prosecution’s timeline.
Sentence and Confiscation
The court concluded that Z.V.D. intentionally participated in the fraudulent activities and was complicit in the theft of approximately 22,142 florins from ATM machines.
Because of the seriousness of the offense and the financial damage caused to banking institutions and customers, the judge confirmed the prosecution’s request and sentenced Z.V.D. to eight months in prison.
In addition, the court ordered the confiscation of the suspect’s smartphone, which investigators determined had been used during the operation to obtain PIN information related to the compromised cards.
