A total of $45m has been stolen by a gang of people using cards with magnetic strips from ATMs across the globe. After hacking into databases for prepaid debit cards the thieves changed the limitations for withdrawing funds and added access codes then loaded the information onto any card they could find that had a magnetic strip which they used to gain access to the ATM and withdraw cash. There were no individual or company accounts that were stolen from; the money belongs to the banking institutions where they have a backup for the prepaid card divisions.
Thieves are becoming more and more adventurous with ways to get cash from banks, from the old bank heists where gangs would run into branches with masks and guns to bombing ATM machines so that the machine would open up and cash could just be taken freely to the 21st century version where fake cards are used.
Source: The Guardian
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