Internet bank fraudsters arrested
Source: The STRAITS Times INTERACTIVE
By Elsa Wenzel, Associated Press
Date: December 06, 2003
KUALA LUMPUR - Police have arrested several suspected members of a syndicate that tried to defraud people using Internet banking facilities.
The syndicate is believed to have international links.
After two weeks of surveillance, police also seized more than RM15,000 (S$6,780) from the suspects and thwarted an attempt to withdraw more than RM150,000.
Police, who have not ruled out more arrests, began monitoring an Internet-linked bank account after they were told that RM100,000 had been transferred into it from the account of a businessman, who denied having carried out the transaction.
Several days later, RM15,000 was withdrawn from the suspect account.
Police blocked a second withdrawal of RM20,000 and arrested the individual who tried to withdraw the money.
They made more arrests in Petaling Jaya and Seremban on Thursday.
'Police are looking into the possibility that those behind the Internet fraud attempt could be from abroad,' an Internet security consultant said.
In recent months, bank account holders, especially those using online banking services, were advised to ignore a fraudulent e-mail message circulated over the Internet.
A statement issued by a bank said some people had received e-mail messages claiming to have been sent from the Internet security division of the bank.
The e-mail message claimed that the bank had installed a new security system.
It advised account holders to change their password by directly logging into a 'new website'.
Internet banking was first introduced in Malaysia about three years ago.
More than 400,000 people have registered for the service so far. -- New Straits Times
Original article
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