Full Notification

On August 16th, 2023, at about 12:30 PM, Simi Valley Police Detectives received information from our Patrol Officers about a possible Pick-Pocket/Skimming Crew operating in the area of Erringer Road and Cochran Street.  Just prior to this notification, Patrol Officers took two reports of credit card theft in the area.

 

With this information, Detectives and Patrol Officers set up in the area.  During this surveillance, Detectives observed a crew of three male adults exit a vehicle in the area of 7-11 (1850 Cochran St.).  The vehicle backed in, had no front plate, and seemed to be lingering in the area.  The three male adults then walked across the street to Vons (1947 Erringer Rd.).  

 

While at Vons, Detectives observed the three subjects, working in concert, as they attempted to obtain pin numbers from elderly shoppers.  These subjects were then observed following an older couple outside the store, but retreated and walked back across the street to where they parked.  

 

Soon after departing, Patrol Officers conducted a traffic stop on this vehicle over for having no front plate.   Detectives assisted with the traffic stop.  Shortly thereafter, Detectives and Officers were able to associate the three subjects to numerous pick-pocket and identity theft related incidents within our city, over the course of the last few months.  A search of the vehicle yielded ATM Skimming devices and associated paraphernalia, clothing from other crimes, and over $10,000 in cash.  

 

The modus operandi in many of these cases involved these suspects hovering around the self-checkout lines in grocery/retail stores.  In doing so, the suspects were obtaining pin numbers of customers during the checkout process.  The suspects were then using a ruse to distract and pick-pocket the customers whose pin numbers they obtained.  The ruse was typically something to distract the customer.  For instance, dropping a twenty dollar bill, picking it up, and handing it over to the customer as if they had dropped it.  The suspects would then commonly follow the customer out of the store and then claim the twenty dollars was in fact their own.  While the victim was distracted another suspect would steal items from the victim’s person or purse.  Often time’s elderly customers were targeted.
 

The three suspects, identified as Dumitru Frunza (45 YOA), Petrache Mreana (42 YOA), and Andrei Preda (36 YOA) were arrested and booked into Ventura County Main Jail for the following charges:  487(a) PC/Grand Theft, 530.5(a) PC/Identity Theft, 368(b)(1) PC/Elder Abuse, 502.6(a) PC/Fraudulent Use of an Access Card, 484f(a) PC/Alter Access Card, 484e(a) PC-Acquire Access Card From Another, and 182(a)(1) PC/Conspiracy.  

 

The Simi Valley Police Department would like to warn our community about this emerging trend in fraud related crimes.  Please, practice safe guarding pin numbers while completing purchases.  Furthermore, be weary of distraction techniques as previously mentioned.  This is one of many such techniques being utilized to steal a victim’s bank card once the pin number was obtained during the purchase.    Please safeguard your pin, don’t leave purses unattended while loading up your vehicle, and be cognizant of distractions from random strangers while departing places of business in which a bank card was utilized.