Eight defendants have been charged in the largest bank heist of its kind, a $45 million worldwide theft that took just hours using fabricated ATM cards.
Federal prosecutors said the cyber-theft was as intricate as a movie plot.
“This scheme was organized for months and planned down to the minute, reminiscent of the casino heist in ‘Ocean’s Eleven,'” said Loretta Lynch, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
The scheme, which started overseas, was detailed in an indictment unsealed today. Unknown hackers stole data from banks that was then encoded onto plastic cards sent to crews in two dozen countries, according to the Justice Department. The local operatives went from ATM to ATM, withdrawing millions.
Lynch said she saw photos of one defendant in New York.
“Surveillance photos show his backpack getting heavier and heavier as his efforts go on,” she said.
According to court records, the hackers targeted a credit card processor that handled prepaid debit card transactions for Rakbank in the United Arab Emirates.
h/t – ABCNEWS
