Hacker Collective Hits ATMs for $9,000,000

If you’re looking for another reason to avoid any form of electronic payment/withdrawal, details of a major ATM robbery plot have recently been uncovered by Fox 5 NY. The plot, unhatched last November, involved an unknown computer hacker or group of hackers who hacked into the computer system of RBS Worldplay and gained the information necessary to make fake copies of payroll debit cards. Using the fake cards they were able to drain about $9 million dollars from 100 different accounts. The hackers were able to lift the the withdrawal limits on the accounts, which would otherwise have prevented them from draining all the money out. A group of low-level intermediaries did the foot work of physically pulling the money out of the ATM machines–over 130 different machines in 49 cites worldwide, all within a 30-minute span.

As impressive as this coordinated effort is–don’t hackers do most of their theft and defrauding while protected by the anynomity a computer screen? It could be the physical nature of this effort that brings it crashing down– the FBI has security camera footage of multiple conspirators in the plot. However, as of yet, no word of any apprehensions.

While RBS has declared that the victims won’t be responsible for the money stolen, they could very well have lost even more valuable personal information to the theft. [Crunch Gear]