Police smash UK's biggest credit card fraud ring

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/32704.html

By Drew Cullen
Posted: 08/09/2003 
   
Three men are facing long jail sentences after pleading guilty, Friday
(Sept. 5) to running the UK's biggest ever credit card fraud at
Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court.

The trio stole details of 847 cards of Heathrow Express rail
passengers who had paid for their journey by credit cards. They passed
on the infor a gang of forgers who cloned 8,790 credit cards for use
in the UK and on the Continent. The cloners were able to use only 10
per cent of the numbers, pocketing £2m for the gang. Police estimate
that the gang could have gained £20m if all the credit card numbers
had been used.

Mastermind was Sunil Mahtani, 26, a non-resident Indian national who
worked in IT for Checkline Plc, the company that processed Heathrow
Express's credit card transaction. Mahtani obtained the data simply by
downloading it from the computer processing the transactions.

His scam ran for three years, ending in September 2001, after a sting
conducted by undercover police.

The court heard that Mahtani stole the money to impress his
girlfriend, a successful investment banker.

As well as Mahtani and his two co-defendants, eight more people were
arrested in connection with the case. The eight were released on bail.




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