Police conducted searches in a case involving card fraud after foreign tourists were allegedly deceived in the Old Town.

Bucharest police conducted five home searches and executed eight summons warrants in a case involving illegal access to computer systems and fraudulent financial operations. The investigation concerns acts allegedly committed between July 14 and August 24, 2026, in Bucharest and Ilfov County.

According to the Bucharest Police, the suspects allegedly operated under the cover of a company in Sector 3, where they targeted foreign tourists in the Old Town. They allegedly offered them products and services, misleading them about the price, then retained their PIN codes and used the facial recognition systems on the victims’ phones to make payments and transfers.

So far, three victims have been identified: two men and one woman. Investigators have documented 40 transactions in total. Thirty-five payments, worth approximately 92,000 lei, were allegedly made from the account of one of the men. The other victims allegedly lost more than 11,000 lei and 11,700 euros. Investigations are continuing to establish the identities of everyone involved and the extent of the damage.