Romanian Man Faces Up to 30 Years in US Prison Over Vishing Scams

Romanian national Gavril Sandu faces up to 30 years in a US prison after extradition over a VOIP vishing and fake debit card fraud scheme.

A 53-year-old Romania male identified as Gavril Sandu is now in federal custody in Charlotte, North Carolina for his involvement in a massive bank fraud scam. He arrived in the United States on 30 April 2026 after being extradited by Romanian authorities to face charges of conspiracy and bank fraud after years of investigation.

Using Business Phones for Scams

The US Department of Justice revealed in a press release that the scheme was launched in 2009 by a group, including Sandu. Until October 2010 this group allegedly targeted small businesses, specifically hacking into Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) systems.

For your information, VOIP technology allows people to make phone calls over a broadband internet connection instead of a traditional analogue phone line.

After gaining unauthorised ...