PLANO, Texas — What should’ve been a quick stop at the ATM turned into a costly ordeal for one Plano man.

Jonathan Hogue said he was simply trying to withdraw cash on July 20th when something didn’t feel right.

“It just really made me mad I got stolen from,” Hogue said. “It’s just an example of somebody out there not caring about other people.”

Plano police say Hogue fell victim to a scheme called “cash trapping.”

Police said the suspect would place a metal device over the slot where money comes out of the ATM. Customers hear their cash dispensing but never see it. They leave, thinking the machine is malfunctioning, while the thief later removes the device and pockets the money.

Plano PD says the man behind the scheme is Ionut Aurel Iova, a Romanian national with a lengthy criminal

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