$45M ATM heist

$45M ATM heist, ATM machines have been the target of smash-and-grab petty crooks, but a recent ATM cybercrime has netted the thieves quite a bit more – to the tune of $45 million, reports theregister.co.uk on May 10.

Over two separate attacks, a worldwide gang of criminal hacks stole a total of $45 million in a matter of hours. The cyber attackers hacked into a database of prepaid debit cards and then drained cash machines around the globe, authorities said Thursday.

Seven people now are under arrest in connection with the case, which prosecutors said involved thousands of thefts from ATMs using bogus magnetic swipe cards carrying information from Middle Eastern banks.

U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch called it "a massive 21st-century bank heist carried out by brazen thieves.”

Working in cells, the fraudsters moved with astounding speed to loot financial institutions around the world.

One of the suspects was caught on surveillance cameras, his backpack increasingly loaded down with cash, authorities said.

The crime was a combination of geeked-out computer techs working with crooked counterparts at actual ATMs. Hackers got into bank databases, eliminated withdrawal limits and created access codes. Others loaded that data onto any plastic card with a magnetic stripe – even an old hotel key card would work. A “virtual criminal flash mob” then fanned out to rapidly withdraw money in multiple cities.

It appears no individuals lost money. The thieves plundered funds held by the banks that back up prepaid credit cards, not individual or business accounts.

There were two separate attacks, one in December that reaped $5 million worldwide and one in February that snared about $40 million in 10 hours.

The accused ringleader in the U.S. cell, Alberto Yusi Lajud-Pena, was reportedly killed in the Dominican Republic late last month, prosecutors said.

More investigations continue and other arrests have been made in other countries, but prosecutors did not have details.

$45M ATM heist 2013-05-10T21:17:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: My Videos Tube