Dakota Beacon

Biden’s open border policy (yes, policy) no longer turns heads. As a scheme implemented immediately upon taking office, Biden continues to welcome millions of unknowns into what once was our nation, the United States of America. So, who lives among us? Newcomers arrive with vastly different standards, values, and mores. Assimilation long ago became a moot point.

Our dominant media leave the impression that illegal entrants constitute the poor and underprivileged from strife torn countries in our hemisphere. Not so. Open borders attract illegals from most of the countries around the world.

Criminal elements coming across the US southern border conjure images of tattooed MS-13 gang members, sex traffickers, and drug smugglers. These criminals make the headlines as they should. But many of us will never encounter these people or their crimes.

Many Americans, however, will more likely encounter low level criminal activity. The following offers one great example.

The Romanian mafia has given a new look to the old scam of debit card skimming. Nothing new here. Debit card skimmers have long been a problem at gas stations and ATMs. However, placing skimmer devices in stores to steal personal information when buying groceries in the self-checkout lane elevates the scam to a whole new level. This proliferates a new twist in the skimmer saga by pilfering both debit card and credit card information. Today a highly organized network of crooks from Romania has branched out into the US via Biden’s open borders.

Here is how it works. Surveillance video shows suspects placing skimmers over a store’s checkout credit card reader device. It takes just seconds. The device appears exactly like actual credit card readers. The plan then involves positioning people outside some store like a Walmart or a Target who appear to be panhandling. Panhandlers will sometimes use a couple of kids as props. So-called panhandlers are using Bluetooth technology connected to the skimmers on the store’s card readers. Consequently, they are taking cash that people give them. Additionally, they are stealing credit card and debit card information via the skimmers.

Thousands of criminal suspects tied to organized Romanian crime have been identified in the United States. The largest portion of the bad guys are entering the United States illegally through Biden’s open southern border. A few of these criminals arrive posing as asylum seekers.

Romanian mafia is known worldwide for ATM-skimming including major heists and some of the biggest scams in history. Of course, they are not a one-trick pony. They are involved in prostitution and drug trafficking as well. Additionally, Romanians are one of the hardest criminal enterprises to break since they usually only deal with other Romanians. They can be extremely violent when needed. Romanian Mafia gangs in Central and South America have developed a very lucrative pact with the Sinaloa Cartel. Why not? The cartels control the Mexican-US border.

Romanian criminals know exactly what they are doing. The porous southern border gives the mobsters a steady supply of new muscle. If caught committing a crime, a combination of lax US bail policies and incomplete criminal records allow lawbreakers to flee justice at will after their arrest.

US authorities say they have caught dozens of “skimmer scammers,” most of them with ties to organized crime in Romania. That is not all. Despite large busts in December and January of dozens of suspects in the US, many more are operating in Mexico where they work with cartels in tourist hot spots like Tulum. Thefts are increasing as thieves double down on their efforts targeting American tourists.

A final word about the skimming devices. Police recommend tugging on a credit card swipe device before inserting your card. If it wobbles or comes off, it’s fake. Report the issue to store management.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).