This content was created by Robert Siciliano. This content was uploaded by Robert Siciliano. This is a YouTube local news segment titled "ATM Hackers Caught Skimming www.IDTheftSecurity.com Robert Siciliano" (Fox 25) dated 2010-01-31. The excerpt is a news report from reporter Dana Rocco (with a sign-off by Diana Orozco) covering an ATM skimming ring that stole over $100,000 from Boston-area bank accounts and the arrest of three suspects (Ivailo Ristov, Anatol Venkov, Vladislav Vladev). The piece includes on-site customer comments and security expert Robert Siciliano, who explains how skimmers and hidden cameras capture card and PIN data, comments on trends with Eastern Bloc criminals, and discusses fraud-prevention gaps. Viewers are urged to check their accounts for unauthorized transactions.
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3 men were arrested for allegedly stealing more than $100,000 from bank accounts in Boston's area here. Police still aren't sure just how many people were victimized. Experts say the way they did it was very simple and readily available to the common thief. Fox 25's Dana Rocco has more now from Quincy.
An ATM scam of epic proportions. 3 men with ties outside the U.S. were arrested for stealing more than $100,000 from Boston area bank accounts.
They're talking a lot about personal identity in there today.
Inside this Quincy Citizens Bank today where police nabbed the first man, customers are checking their accounts.
I think the clients are making them aware. They're concerned. A lot of phone calls and the computer's down today, so.
Banks alerted police after customers were complaining of unauthorized withdrawals to their savings and checking accounts dating back 3 weeks. After staking out the Hancock Street ATM, police busted their first suspect, Ivailo Ristov of Ontario. He led police to Anatol Venkov of Toronto and 36-year-old Vladislav Vladev of Bulgaria. He was arrested at Logan Airport yesterday, fleeing the country on a plane to Germany.
We're finding that a lot of the hackers that are committing these crimes are from the Eastern Bloc. Uh, these are individuals that understand that here in the U.S. we have a very flawed system, and they're literally flying into this country, setting up shop, and compromising ATMs across the country.
So this is how the scam works. An unsuspecting person would put their card into the ATM machine. The skimmer is reading the numbers while a hidden camera is watching them put in their PIN. In this case, the skimmer routed the information to a nearby car where the suspects were waiting, scanning the numbers on a blank card, then walking them up to the ATM and making a withdrawal.
There's a tremendous opportunity out there for the criminal, and I don't see this crime slowing down anytime soon.
Security expert Robert Siciliano says this equipment can be bought online, but due to lack of training, bank experts rarely check for it and have been slow to install safeguards.
When it comes to fraud prevention, when it comes to security, industry will only make an investment when the losses exceed the profits.
Something that may not be too far off, and that has some customers playing it safe.
I'm never going to use one of those things. I don't like them anyhow.
Diana Orozco, Fox 25 News.
Well, there may be more victims out there. Citizens Bank and Bank of America ATMs at Saugus, Milton, Braintree, and Quincy were some of the primary targets. Customers are urged to check their bank accounts and notify your bank if you've had any strange transactions.
