Criminal gangs cash in on software bug at Santander US ATMs

Posted: 21st August 2020

US police have arrested dozens of suspects who exploited a bug in Santander ATMs to cash out funds using fake and prepaid debit cards.

Information about the software glitch was shared between multiple criminal gangs operating across the Tri-State area and was only uncovered after Santander employees noticed a spike in cash withdrawals.

According to local news reports, suspects used fake debit cards and valid prepaid cards to withdraw more funds from ATMs than the cards were storing.

Police arrested as many as 50 people as they attempted the fraud at ATMs across the region.

The bank initially responded by shutting down access to ATMs and beefing up security at its branches while alerting the authorities to the attack. The cash machine network has since moved back online but is available only to Santander customers for the immediate future.
Categories: Banking