Romanian hacker extradited to US over 17 year old vishing fraud

Romanian national Gavril Sandu, aged 53, has been extradited to the United States nearly 17 years after a hacking scheme. Indicted in 2017, Sandu was arrested in Romania on 9 January 2026 and transferred to U.S. custody on 30 April 2026. He faces one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of bank fraud in connection with an international vishing scheme.

According to prosecutors, between May 2009 and October 2010 Sandu and co-conspirators hacked into small businesses’ VoIP systems, used them to make spoofed calls impersonating banks, and tricked victims into revealing debit card and PIN numbers. The stolen credentials were used to access accounts, forge magnetic stripe cards, and withdraw cash from ATMs, with Sandu acting as a money mule and sharing the proceeds with co-conspirators.

Following extradition, he was placed in federal custody awaiting trial and, if convicted, could face up to 30 years in prison, according to the press release published by DoJ.