A BARNSLEY man who - along with his brother - stole more than £25,000 through a cashpoint scam has been jailed.

Cristian Urcaciu, 37, of Upper Sheffield Road, and his brother, 33-year-old Felix, were part of a scheme which saw them fit trapping devices to cash machines across the country.

Felix used the card to make seemingly legitimate balance enquiries as he fitted the metal envelope devices to the machines’ cash dispensers.

The pair stole at least £25,000 in cash that customers withdrew but never received.

Instead, the money was secreted into a metal sleeve over the top of the cash dispenser slot.

Customers would assume there was a fault with the machine and leave before the brothers returned to collect the money later.

Nottinghamshire Police began an investigation in summer 2023 after money was stolen from ATMs in Sneinton, Chilwell and Bramcote.

Detectives analysed hundreds of hours of CCTV footage from locations where customers had reported losing money and were able to identify two suspects and two vehicles.

By cross-checking transaction records with the footage, officers were able to link Felix to the offences through the use of his own bank card.

With offences also uncovered in Leeds, Leicester, Sheffield, Wakefield, Derbyshire and Scotland, officers had enough evidence to secure a search warrant at an address in Barnsley.

During the warrant, officers found an improvised workshop in a garage where the trap devices were being manufactured.

Cristian was arrested at the scene alongside another suspect, before Felix arrived carrying cash stolen during an offence committed in Sheffield earlier that morning.

Cristian waited until the day of his trial to plead guilty to conspiracy to steal and concealing criminal property.

While Felix was found guilty in his absence of conspiracy to steal, concealing criminal property and possessing criminal property.

Cristian was jailed for 33 months at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, while Felix was handed a 40-month sentence.

Police staff investigator Jodie Mottishaw said: “The Urcaciu brothers were travelling all over the region to steal cash from unsuspecting victims.

“This was a calculated and cynical conspiracy that involved the subsequent movement of stolen funds to multiple bank accounts.

“Ultimately, however, the brothers were undone by their own greed and carelessness, which allowed us to track them down and bring them to justice.”