A gang of cybercriminals stole $45m
(£29m) by hacking into a database of
prepaid debit cards and draining cash
machines around the world, US prosecutors
say.
Seven people have been charged in New York
over the heist, which allegedly stretched
across 26 countries.
An eighth suspect is thought to have been
murdered in April.
The network used fake cards to target banks
in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, court
documents said.
Prosecutors said law enforcement agencies in
Japan, Canada, the UK, Romania and 12
other countries were involved in the
investigation.
Arrests had been made in other countries,
they said, although details were not released.
'Laptops not guns'
"The defendants and their co-conspirators
participated in a massive 21st Century bank
heist that reached across the internet and
stretched around the globe," Loretta Lynch,
US Attorney for the Eastern District of New
York, said in a statement.
"In the place of guns and masks, this
cybercrime organisation used laptops and the
internet."
Members of the scheme allegedly hacked
computer systems to steal data on prepaid
debit cards. The cards are pre-loaded with
funds rather than being linked to a bank
account or a line of credit.
They cancelled withdrawal limits and
distributed information to accomplices
referred to as "cashers" around the world.
The cashers then loaded other magnetic
stripe cards, such as gift cards or old hotel
keys, with the stolen data and used them to
withdraw huge sums.
The first alleged raid took place at the
Rakbank in the UAE in December. Criminals
were able to conduct 4,500 transactions
worth $5m across about 20 countries.
Prosecutors believe the group broke into the
Bank of Muscat based in Oman in February.
In the space of 10 hours, casher cells
withdrew $40m in 36,000 transactions from
ATMs in 24 countries.
According to the indictment of the New York
defendants, they quickly moved to launder
their cash, opening a Miami bank account
and pouring money into cars, including a
Porsche and a Mercedes, and Rolex watches.
Seven people have been arrested and face
charges of conspiracy to commit access
device fraud and money laundering.
The accused ringleader of the cell was
reportedly murdered in the Dominican
Republic just weeks earlier, prosecutors said.
"Our message is clear. Law enforcement
should not stand by as cybercriminals target
our global financial system for their own
ends," Ms Lynch told reporters.
She added that the attack was the "largest
theft of this type that we have yet seen".
Source:bbc
