Seven cyber hackers 'caught stealing $45 million in 10 hours in the second biggest bank robbery in the history of New York'
- Hackers made 40,500 transactions in 10 hours in 27 countries
- Data was stolen from cards issued by two Middle Eastern banks
- Branded the second-biggest bank robbery in the history of New York City
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Hackers: Elvis Rafael Rodriguez (left) and Emir Yasser Yeje (right), of New York were arrested for the robbery
Seven of eight New York-based cyber hackers have been charged with stealing $45 million in a matter of hours in the second-biggest bank robbery in the history of New York City.
Individuals employed around the world by a sophisticated cyber crime ring stole the millions from thousands of bank automated teller machines in just 10 hours.
The cyber criminals used hacked debit-card data to make 40,500 transactions in 27 countries, U.S. prosecutors said today.
Authorities said they arrested these seven U.S. citizens and residents of Yonkers, New York: Jael Mejia Collado, Joan Luis Minier Lara, Evan Jose Peña, Jose Familia Reyes, Elvis Rafael Rodriguez, Emir Yasser Yeje and Chung Yu-Holguin.
The eighth defendant charged in the
indictment, Alberto Yusi Lajud-Peña, also known as 'Prime' and
'Albertico,' was murdered on April 27 in the Dominican Republic,
according to prosecutors.
Lynch said it was unclear whether the murder was related to the cybercrime case.
Members of the global criminal organization hacked into two credit card processors and used stolen data to make the withdrawals, during two separate coordinated incidents in December 2012 and February 2013, the Justice Department said.
The government charged eight individuals in New York with participating in the larger scheme by withdrawing $2.8 million in thousands of ATM transactions, in what U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said was the second-biggest bank robbery in the history of New York City.
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Caught at the ATM: Jose Familia Reyes was caught on camera on New York's Third Avenue making four withdrawals of $4,015
ATM withdrawals: Jose Familia Reyes is caught on camera making large cash withdraws from various ATMs around Manhattan
Across town: Jose Familia Reyes makes more withdrawals on New York's Broadway
Lynch said it was likely that the
headquarters of the global scheme was located outside the United States
and that the current charges focused only on the New York-based cell.
Investigators were examining whether other cells were operating elsewhere in the United States, she said.
'In the place of guns and masks, this cyber crime organization used laptops and the Internet.
'Moving as swiftly as data over the Internet, the organization worked its way from the computer systems of international corporations to the streets of New York City, with the defendants fanning out across Manhattan to steal millions of dollars from hundreds of ATMs in a matter of hours,' said Lynch, whose office in Brooklyn, New York, brought the case.
The big heist: Jose Familia Reyes continues down Broadway in Manhattan, making cash withdrawals of over $2,000 from each ATM
Second biggest bank robbery in NYC history: Jose Familia Reyes was part of the international cyber hacking ring that stole millions
Part of the gang: Jose Familia Reyes was one of seven defendants, all U.S. citizens and residents of Yonkers, New York
The case demonstrates the major threat that cyber crime poses to banks around the world.
Security experts frequently identify electronic fraud as one of the key challenges facing banks today.
'Hackers only need to find one vulnerability to cause millions of dollars of damage,' said Mark Rasch, a former federal cyber crimes prosecutor, based in Bethesda, Maryland.
In
the December attack, hackers gained access to an Indian credit card
processor that handled prepaid Mastercard Inc debit cards for National
Bank of Ras Al Khaimah PSC, or RAKBANK, according to a criminal
indictment.
In February, the hackers broke into the system of a U.S.-based credit card processor to steal account numbers for prepaid Mastercard debit cards issued by Bank of Muscat, the indictment said.
The second operation was far larger than the first attack, eventually totaling $40 million in losses to Bank of Muscat.
Evidence: Images from the iPhone of Elvis Rafael Rodriguez (left) show the hacker with Emir Yasser Yeje (right), of New York, along with cash and items bought with the stolen money
New York based ring: Charts showing information related to eight members belonging to a New York-based cell of a global cyber criminal organization are displayed at a news conference today
In
late February, Bank Muscat disclosed that it would take an impairment
charge of up to 15 million rials ($39 million) because it had been
defrauded overseas using 12 prepaid debit cards used for travel.
That charge was equal to more than half of the 25 million rials profit it posted in its first quarter ended March 31.
The indictment does not identify the processor companies.
Bank representatives could not be reached for comment outside of regular business hours.
In both cases, the hackers boosted the available balance for each card and eliminated the withdrawal limits, allowing them to take out huge sums of money from ATMs in what prosecutors called an 'unlimited operation.'
A single account number, for instance, yielded nearly $9 million in profits, including $2.4 million in New York City alone, prosecutors said.
The hackers distributed the account numbers to coordinated 'casher' crews stationed across the globe, who siphoned millions of dollars from ATMs within a span of hours in December 2012 and February 2013.
Map of the hit areas: This map shown at a press conference in New York show the ATMS which the cyber hackers hit
Worldwide ring: In February, the hackers broke into the system of a U.S.-based credit card processor to steal account numbers for prepaid Mastercard debit cards issued by Bank of Muscat (pictured in Oman), the indictment said
One of the New York defendants was caught in surveillance footage from ATMs in Manhattan during the February operation, prosecutors said.
After the cards were shut down, cashers laundered the proceeds, often by purchasing luxury goods, and sent a portion of the money back to the organization's leaders, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said they seized hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and bank accounts, as well as two Rolex watches and a Mercedes SUV, from the New York defendants.
No individual bank accounts were compromised by the scheme, Lynch said.
It wasn't immediately known which lawyers were representing the defendants.
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Fair play lads
- lex , Manc, 09/5/2013 23:26
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