14 DAY TRIAL // Instead of forging credit cards or stealing bank accounts in cleverly designed phishing schemes, Malaysian crooks damaged ATMs and reported the incidents to the bank involved. When technicians would come to repair them, they would be threatened with a gun to open up the machines.
The Star found out about the scheme which was deployed by robbers in Kuala Lumpur.
Two of the thieves were caught after authorities set up a trap. The pistol used to scare bank employees and the equivalent of $16,000 (11,000 EUR) were found in their possession.
One of the suspects managed to flee but law enforcement officials are confident he will soon be apprehended as well.
It seems as in some cases brute force is much more effective than any intricate scheme designed by a clever hacker. Fortunately, these situations are handled much faster by the police than those that involve cybercriminals.