FREMONT — An investigation continued Thursday into a possible transnational criminal ring after police said they arrested members who used devices to “skim” credit cards from gas stations in five Bay Area counties.

On Jan. 14, a Fremont officer noticed Iurii Osetskyi, 29, of Studio City, making what appeared to be multiple transactions at an ATM outside a Wells Fargo bank on Mowry Avenue.

The officer arrested Osetskyi after finding he had no ATM card, but he did have about $3,800 in $20 bills wrapped around more than two dozen gift cards, with specific dollar amounts corresponding to transaction receipts.

Later that night, Fremont police received a call from Denys Osetskyi, 37, of Valley Village, reporting his brother Iurii missing. After dispatchers told Denys an officer would come to take a missing-persons report, officers met and detained him at a local motel.

Officers received a search warrant for the brothers’ motel room and vehicle; they recovered multiple recovered cards, cash and electronics that hint at three other outstanding suspects.

Evidence recovered by investigations appears to show the Osetskyis and three others came north from Los Angeles County to use cloned debit cards in the Bay Area where they were originally “skimmed.”

Officers found debit card numbers and PINs on the recovered gift cards for multiple Bay Area victims, including many from Crockett in Contra Costa County, likely gathered by devices attached to local gas-station pumps, police said.

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Both Osetskyi brothers were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, identity theft involving more than 10 victims and computer intrusion.

On Feb. 27, a Fremont plain-clothes detective stopped a Land Rover without license plates and a Toyota Tundra registered out of Los Angeles County.

After speaking with the Land Rover’s driver, Vasiliy Polyak, 27, of Montebello, they realized he was related to an Osetskyi case suspect. Officers obtained a search warrant for Polyak’s car, recovering at least nine Bluetooth-enabled gas-pump skimming devices, cloned debit cards and components to build more devices.

Shortly after, officers saw Polyak being picked up by a Mercedes at a shopping center near the police department. Other officers stopped the Mercedes, detaining Polyak and its driver, Artak Harutyunyan, 49, of North Hollywood.

Harutyunyan told officers he was staying in Sacramento and only came to Fremont to pick up Polyak, but officers soon learned he was on searchable felony probation for prior skimming and identity-theft-related crimes.

A search of the Mercedes found evidence showing Harutyunyan was staying at a local motel, where a search of a room yielded more skimming devices, cash and more than 125 cloned debit cards.

Police arrested Polyak and Harutyunyan on suspicion of conspiracy, identity theft, computer intrusion, possession of skimming devices.

In addition to Alameda and Contra Costa counties, police say the suspects skimmed credit cards at gas stations in Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties. For now, regional gas station owners and employees are advised to inspect pumps and alert police if any unexpected devices are found.

Anyone with information is asked to call Fremont police Det. Adam Foster at 510-790-6900 or email Afoster@fremont.gov. Anonymous tips via text are also welcome by texting TIP FREMONTPD followed by the information to 888-777 or online at https://local.nixle.com/tip/alert/6216337.

Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.