KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) — Two men — a Jamaican and a Bulgarian — were Thursday each ordered to pay the court EC$10,000 or spend two months in jail after pleading guilty to charges relating to the scamming of individuals who used automated teller machines (ATM) across the island.

The Jamaican, Christopher Cole, 34, and Bulgarian Mirolav Stanoev, 31 – who both lived in St Martin – pleaded guilty to charges that on October 23 they used skimming devices in order to steal funds from ATMs .

They further pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit theft when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Rechanne Browne at the Serious Offences Court in Kingstown on Thursday.

The police report that the men, who arrived here, via airplane, on October 21 , brought with them items designed to capture video footage of ATMS, personal identification numbers and debit card information.

The information would be used to create a replica of the customer’s card and that replica card would be used to withdraw all the cash from the corresponding account.

The withdrawal could be done here or at any ATM overseas.

On the morning of October 23, it’s reported that personnel from Bank of St Vincent and the Grenadines Reigate Branch conducted routine checks of their ATMs and during checks a skimming device was found .

The device was removed and camera footage showed the men affixing the device to the ATM.

The bank then contacted the Major Crime Unit, which launched an investigation.

Cole and Stanoev were later apprehended by the police and during interviews they admitted to the crime.

In handing down the sentence, the magistrate commended the investigators and also commended the bank for checking their machine and the overhauling to ensure that those things can be intercepted early. The two were also ordered deported.

Browne said that after consulting the sentencing guidelines, the court had decided to fine each of the men EC$5,000 for “the being equipped to steal” charge, with a prison term of two months in default.

They were each also fined EC$5,000 for the conspiracy charge or one month in prison.

The sentences will run concurrently.