ATM Scam UPDATE: Crooks Caught!

By Ben Popken March 14, 2006

Rest a little easier, the “Russian Connection” ATM scammers have been captured.

Like we reported and you confirmed with your stories last week, the
unnamed national office retailer
was indeed OfficeMax.

But the investigation implicates other businesses, which remain unnamed.

More after the jump.

14 people were arrested by New Jersey prosecutors in the crime spree forcing banks nationwide to reissue debit cards to hundreds of thousands of customers.

“This was a sophisticated network,” Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said. “These guys have been around. It looks like they figured this was a safer way to generate cash, safer than dealing drugs or other crimes.”

overhead.jpg

Now comes the hard part, getting the industry to institute the changes necessary to prevent the crime from happening again. Remember though, you can protect yourself by never typing in your PIN except at ATMs for withdrawals, instead, ask to sign a receipt.

Full scoop at CNET.
(Thanks to Stephen for the link!)

Previously:

  • Many More ATM Attacks Forthcoming
  • ATM Hack Fallout
  • ATM Hack: The Tip of the Iceberg
  • Depth and Breadth of ATM Scam Continues to Astound
  • ‘The Russian Connection’ ATM Scammers Messed With Texas
  • Consumers with Forced Debit Card Reissues Step Forward
  • ATM Fraud UPDATE: Wal-Mart, OfficeMax, Sam’s Club, Office Depot Suspected
  • The Office Hax ‘Guarantee’
  • ATM Fraud Update
  • Alert! Citibank Scandal Update: It’s Not Just Citibank…
  • Citibank’s Statement on the ATM Crisis
  • Citibank
    s ATM Crisis Merely Extends
    Money Don
    t Matter
    Campaign

  • Massive Citibank Alert: UPDATE
  • Massive Citibank Fraud Alert: UPDATE
  • Massive Citibank Fraud Alert
    • Tagged With: , , , , , ,
    «
    »

    Comments

    1. limiter says:
      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I changed my pin number and canceled my debit card and the bank said “We haven’t heard anything about a pin scam, it must not be that big of a deal.”

      Glad to see my bank working hard to protect my money!

    2. Hawkins says:
      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      So where is the part where they arrest the merchants who were retaining the PINs?

      I asked my banker friend about this, and he said that the only possible reason that your PIN would be stored would be so that they could steal your money.

      “If I found out that a merchant was storing PINs,” said my usually-calm banker friend, “I’d rip their fucking livers out.”

    3. GenXCub says:
      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Yeah. At least the “would you like fries with that?” dude at Wells Fargo was aware of something going on, but wasn’t forthcoming with details.