TOKYO (Web Desk) – A total of 1.4 billion yen ($12.7 million) in cash has been stolen from some 1,400 automated teller machines (ATM) in convenience stores across Japan in just under two hours on May 15, investigative sources said on Sunday.
According to Police sources, cash was withdrawn at ATMs using forged credit cards containing account information leaked from a South African bank. Around 100 persons took part in the unlawful the withdrawal.
Japanese police will coordinate with South African authorities through the International Criminal Police Organization to look into the major theft, including how credit card information was leaked, sources said.
In each of the approximately 14,000 transactions, the maximum amount of 100,000 yen or about $900 was withdrawn from Seven Bank ATMs using fake credit cards.
A similar case surfaced earlier in which more than $40 million was illegally withdrawn from ATMs in 26 countries from 2012 to 2013.The Police is still hunting for the culprit involved in the case.
