Authorities have asked Interpol to issue international alerts for two Russians suspected of stealing about NT$70 million (US$2.17 million) from automatic teller machines (ATMs) belonging to First Commercial Bank (第一銀行) and then fleeing on a flight to Hong Kong, as well as checking on the likelihood of there being Taiwanese collaborators.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau said it had identified one of the suspects as Sergey Berezovskiy, 34, according to information from a copy of his Russian passport, which was circulated to media outlets last night along with video footage of him allegedly taking money from ATMs, as the bureau appealed to the public to provide leads in the case.
According to customs records and video footage, the two Russians entered Taiwan on tourist visas on Thursday last week and then took advantage of Typhoon Nepartak making landfall to pull off the ATM heist while police were distracted on Friday, the bureau said.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
Bureau officials said the Russians withdrew the cash from more than 20 ATMs in several cities from Friday to Sunday and then departed on a Cathay Pacific (國泰航空) flight bound for Hong Kong on Monday morning at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
Taipei prosecutors said it was likely the suspects were working with a local Taiwanese gang, since it would not have been possible for foreigners to know the precise locations of the ATMs in Taipei, New Taipei City and Taichung, while video footage indicated the involvement of a Taiwanese driver in the operation.
Furthermore, prosecutors said there was a risk of getting caught at the airport with large bundles of cash and that most of the NT$70 million was likely converted into foreign currency and then wired to overseas banks through “informal channels,” which would have required the assistance of collaborating Taiwanese.
Photo: Yao Yue-hung, Taipei Times
First Commercial Bank executives said the heist was committed without “using ATM cards” or “touching the ATM in any improper or illegal way,” with the machines simply “spitting” out bills, leading the bank and police to suspect that the criminals used malware to hack into the ATM operating system and manipulate the machines.
Prosecutors questioned a number of First Commercial Bank employees yesterday due to the suspicion the Russians could have received inside help to access and download malware into the ATM operating system.
However, authorities said they have not yet received any information from other nations about suspicious outflows of money.
It also remains unclear if the alleged thieves had any accomplices abroad or support from any known international criminal ring, but authorities have contacted Interpol to ask for its help in tracking down the suspects.
The authorities said the suspects traveled to the ATMs in a car they rented at the airport, which was driven by a Taiwanese man.
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