Another Three ATMs Hacked In KL And Malacca

KUALA LUMPUR: The automated teller machine (ATM) hacking blitz continues with three more banks reporting losses to Latin American gangs on Tuesday evening.

In the capital, the latest casualty was the United Overseas Bank (UOB) branch in Jalan Imbi, which reported a loss of RM92,900.

Federal police deputy Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (Cyber and Multimedia Crimes) director SAC Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said the bank manager lodged a report at 2.30pm Tuesday after a balance audit in one of the ATMs found that it was missing money.

"He then checked the closed-circuit television (CCTV) on Sept 28 and found that there was a suspect who entered the bank at around 9.20am that day and withdrew money in a similar modus operandi to previous cases.

"He entered the bank four times, dressed in different outfits each time. At the ATM he took out a phone and was able to withdraw money without touching any buttons on the machine," he said.

In Malacca, respective managers of Affin Bank and Al Rajhi Bank branches in Taman Melaka Raya lodged police reports Tuesday, saying that their ATM's were missing a total of RM355,570.

Malacca police chief SAC Datuk Chuah Ghee Lye said both managers lodged reports after CCTV footage revealed groups of two to three suspects have been employing the same modus operandi to withdraw money from their ATMs.

The Al Rajhi Bank branch reportedly lost RM232,770 withdrawn by two suspects, while the Affin Bank branch lost RM122,800 to three suspects.

"It was the same thing that has happened in other states. Investigations will be done with Bukit Aman," he told The Star.

This brings the number of reported ATM hacks to 17, with more than RM3mil drained out of ATMs in branches belonging to Affin Bank, Al Rajhi, Bank Islam and UOB.

Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Seri Mortadza Nazarene said initial investigations revealed that the suspects would open the top panel of the ATM machines using a "common key" before inserting a disc to infect the machines with a virus known as ulssm.exe.

"After taking out the CD, they will close the panel and syndicate members would then withdraw all the money out of the ATM by typing codes into the key panel, which they receive via telephone from an accomplice," he said.

The suspects would block the ATM slots with objects like SIM cards, paper or cigarette butts to stop other bank customers from withdrawing cash from the ATMs, he said. - The Star