One of the suspected ringleaders of an ATM heist nearly two years ago has been arrested in Spain, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said in a statement on Monday.
The investigation into the theft of more than NT$83 million (US$2.85 million at the current exchange rate) from state-run First Commercial Bank ATMs has lasted nearly 20 months and involved the joint efforts of Taiwanese authorities, the Spanish national police, the European Cybercrime Centre and private cybersecurity companies, the bureau said.
Identified only as Denys, the Russian is believed to be one of the leaders of a cybercrime syndicate called “Cobalt,” which is suspected of targeting banks, e-payment systems and financial institutions around the world using malware, known as Cobalt Strike, since 2016, the bureau said.
The group has allegedly infiltrated more than 100 financial institutions in 40 nations and stolen about 1 billion euros (US$1.2 billion).
A total of 22 suspects from six countries were involved in the high-profile theft in Taiwan from July 9 to July 11, 2016.
Nineteen of the suspects fled the nation and were placed on a wanted list.
Members of the international ring allegedly withdrew money from 51 First Commercial Bank ATMs in Taipei, New Taipei City and Taichung after using malware to hack into the bank’s computer system.
Authorities were alerted to the hack when members of the public in Taipei reported seeing two men collecting cash from an ATM in the middle of the night.
Police were able to track down and arrest three men — one who was allegedly indirectly involved in the heist and two who were allegedly in Taiwan to recover the money and transfer it out of the nation.
About NT$5.79 million of the stolen cash is still unaccounted for.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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