A hacker linked to a cyber-crime ring that illegally withdrew about $9 million from ATM machines around the world receives a six-year suspended sentence from authorities in Russia.
A hacker linked to the infamous $9 million RBS WorldPay ATM heist was
given a
six-year suspended sentence
by Russian authorities for his role in the crime, according
to reports.
In exchange for providing information to authorities, Viktor Pleshchuk,
28, of St. Petersburg, Russia,
"received a reduced sentence, which includes four years of
probation," Bloomberg said Sept. 8.
Pleshchuk, described by some as the mastermind behind the heist, has also
been charged by authorities in the United States,
along with several others.
The crew of cyber-thieves is accused of
hacking
into computer systems at RBS WorldPay in November 2008. According to
the FBI, "Once the encryption on the company's card processing system
was compromised," the hackers were able to use the data to create fake
payroll debit cards, which they provided to a network of
"cashers."
Using the cards, the cashers withdrew "more than $9 million from over
2,100 ATMs in at least 280 cities worldwide, including cities in the United
States, Russia,
... Italy ... and Canada"-all in "a span of less than 12 hours,"
the FBI said in 2009.
"The sheer audacity of this criminal scheme, which stole an
extraordinary amount of money in such a short time, is mind-boggling,"
blogged
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.
Pleshchuk has been ordered to pay back more than 275 million rubles to RBS
WorldPay.
In August, 26-year-old Sergei Tsurikov, of Tallinn,
Estonia, was extradited
from Estonia to
the United States
to
face
charges in the case.
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