Hacker Organisation Stole $45 Million From ATMs

Unlimited Operation, this is the presumed name of the technique the cyber-crime organisation responsible for the theft of an astonishing $45 millions used to withdraw money from ATMs all across the globe.

The heist was done in two precisely coordinated  operations that involved gang members in more than two dozen countries acting with impressive precision. In the place of guns and masks, this cyber-crime organization used laptops and the Internet. This massive 21st century bank heist that reached across the Internet and stretched around the globe raising concerns about the security of financial institutions.

Unlimited operation included honed computer security specialists operating in the shadowy world of Internet hacking, manipulating financial information and breaking the tight security protocols of major financial institutions  Common street criminals were also included, who used
that information to loot the automated teller machines.The first crew to be have been apprehended was a street crew operating in NY, they traveled the city raiding ATMs withdrawing money and stuffing backpacks with cash, $2.8 millions in total.

Besides the large amount of money involved, the thefts underscored the security vulnerability of financial institutions around the world to hackers working to stay a step ahead of the latest technologies designed to thwart them. To start, hackers broke into the system of a credit-card processing company that handles Visa and MasterCard prepaid debit cards. The hackers then raised the withdrawal limits on prepaid MasterCard debit accounts. Once the withdrawal limits have been eliminated, they could then withdrawn virtually an unlimited amount of money, which the street crew apparently did across the globe.

The suspects have been charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud, money laundering conspiracy and money laundering. If found guilty, the defendants each face up to 10 years behind bars for money laundering and another 7.5 years for each of the other three charges.