Romanian man charged with credit card fraud in Mattapoisett

MATTAPOISETT — 39-year-old Nicu Vasile Ardel of Romania was arrested in Mattapoisett after an ongoing investigation of credit card forgery. 

Detective Dennis Tavares arrested Ardel on charges of Larceny and Credit Card Forgery.

Police speculate that Ardel may be part of a larger organization responsible for deploying credit card skimming devices and producing forged credit and ATM cards.

Throughout the month of November, Tavares investigated multiple reports of unauthorized ATM withdrawals. 

During the investigation, it was determined that an unknown individual was using cloned debit cards to make withdrawals in Mattapoisett and banks throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

On Thursday, Nov. 20, Ardel was taken into custody by North Providence Police as he crossed into Rhode Island from the New York area. 

Tavares obtained a fugitive-from-justice warrant, and Ardel was subsequently extradited back to Massachusetts by detectives from the Mattapoisett and Fairhaven Police Departments.

Ardel’s bail was set at $50,000. He will remain in the custody of the Mattapoisett Police Department, awaiting bail or arraignment in Wareham 4th District Court.

The Mattapoisett Police Department reminds residents to remain vigilant. Credit card and bank fraud is on the rise, so they recommend regularly monitoring accounts and to report any suspicious activity immediately. 

The Mattapoisett Police Department was unavaliable for comment at the time of publication.