Romanian Suspect Extradited to US Over Alleged VoIP Vishing Scheme
Summary
Gavril Sandu was extradited from Romania to the US to face bank fraud charges over an alleged 2009–2010 scheme involving hacked business VoIP systems, vishing, cloned payment cards and cash withdrawals.
Key points
- The Justice Department says Sandu was arrested in Romania in January 2026 and extradited to the US in late April.
- He was indicted in 2017 on conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud charges.
- Prosecutors allege that Sandu and others hacked small businesses’ VoIP systems and used scripts to trick financial institution customers into revealing sensitive information.
- The DOJ alleges Sandu used stolen information to clone payment cards and withdrew funds as a money mule.
- Sandu remains in custody and faces up to 30 years in prison.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Extradition to the United States of a Romanian national accused of participating in a historical vishing and bank-fraud scheme.
- Impact
- According to the DOJ, the alleged scheme involved hacking small businesses’ VoIP systems and using scripts to trick financial institution customers into revealing personal and financial information. The stolen information was allegedly used to clone payment cards and withdraw funds. Gavril Sandu was extradited to the United States and remains in custody, facing up to 30 years in prison.
MITRE ATT&CK
People
Threat Actors
Countries
RomaniaThe suspect, 53-year-old Gavril Sandu, was arrested in Romania in January 2026 and was extradited to the US in late April.United StatesA Romanian national was recently extradited to the United States for his role in a cybercrime scheme carried out 17 years ago, the Justice Department announced this week.