A former policeman yesterday admitted his role in using cloned debit cards to steal more than HK$4.2 million from ATMs in a seven-hour spree in Hong Kong, as part of a plot in which US$10 million is alleged to have been stolen worldwide in 2008.
His conviction comes after a US grand jury in November indicted eight people from Russia, Estonia and Moldova on charges that they hacked a computer network used by RBS WorldPay - a division of the Royal Bank of Scotland - one of the leading global payment processing businesses.
The ring was accused of compromising the encryption that Atlanta-based RBS WorldPay used to protect customer data on payroll debit cards, allowing them to clone the cards.
A network of 'cashers' then used 44 counterfeit cards to withdraw the money from more than 2,100 ATMs in 280-odd cities worldwide. The withdrawals were made in countries including Japan, the United States, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia and Italy in less than 12 hours between November 8 and 9, 2008.
Among the Hong Kong 'cashers' was former policeman Cheung Hoi-wing, 40, now a transport worker, who pleaded guilty in the District Court to conspiracy to steal.
He was jointly charged with Wong Tin-yuen, 34, with conspiring with other unknown persons to steal property worth more than HK$4.28 million.
