Like numbers? Here’s some for your morning coffee… 2,904. 10. 2.4 million.
Those numbers are integral to what federal prosecutors in Brooklyn allege occurred on February 19, when a team of eight men scattered throughout the Borough of Manhattan to make 2,904 ATM withdraws in the space of 10 hours, making off with about $2.4 million in New York alone.
The heist was part of a larger global plot implemented at the same time that raked in about $45 million, all told.
According to the indictment, the eight-person team in New York was the final stage in a process that first involved hackers gaining access to an Indian credit card processing vendor and then eliminating the limits on prepaid MasterCard accounts. Using the unlimited cards, teams around the world raided bank ATMs for cash before they financial institutions knew what hit them.
The New York Times has more details on the ATM spree, which may be a taste of what’s to come as banks and credit card companies keep falling victim to criminal ingenuity.
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