<![CDATA[A police team consisting of 2 constables who were on night patrol caught 2 foreign nationals in the act of trying to fix a card reader and a micro-camera in an ATM in Hegde Nagar. The police said that the aim of the accused were to take data from debit/credit cards that customers would insert into the ATM, and use the information to carry out online transactions illegally and make counterfeit cards that can be swiped at retail outlets. The accused are Uganda nationals and their names are Babalanda Amunon, 25, and Ongido Ambrose, 22. They were arrested last Tuesday. The police said that after interrogating them, it has come to our knowledge that they are part of a larger skimming racket that is thriving in the city. The racket has become a headache for the cybercrime cell. Their gang leader is a woman who is at large. A police team raided the house that was operated from S.R.K. Nagar in Kothanur. They recovered two laptops, two card readers, four skimmers, two micro cameras, nine mobile phones, Rs.60000 and 160 blank ATM cards. From the investigations conducted by the police it was revealed that they purchased the equipment and blank cards online. They carried out an exercise to identify ATMs that do not have CCTV cameras or security guards. The accused rely on a skimmer and a camera to access a ATM user’s bank data and other information, and later they make counterfeit cards that have in the past been used not just in Karnataka, but also in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The devices are installed by the accused in the first week of every month when withdrawals are higher, and are usually removed after three days. According to the police, the two have been living in Bengaluru illegally for three years. They arrived in the city with student visas. The police said that Babalanda dropped out of the B.Pharma course he was enrolled in while Ambrose discontinued his BCA course to join the gang six months ago. In that time, they withdrew Rs.25 lakh from various ATMs across the city and in neighboring states. A police officer said that with their arrest, we have cracked around 20 cases. DCP (north east) Kala Krishnamurthy said that the accused has been taken into custody. Efforts are on to nab the woman who is heading their gang. The modus operandi used by the accused are: * identify ATMs that do not have CCTV cameras and security guards * Install devices in the first week of every month * Remove devices after a few days * Transfer stolen data to blank cards * Use cards to withdraw cash from ATMs The police, in the past, had issued guidelines to banks instructing them to install CCTV cameras and post security guards. Senior police officials have proposed that anti-skimming devices be installed in ATMs. A senior cyber crime officer said we have also proposed that bank officials provide a one-time password for every withdrawal in an ATM.]]>
