Police arrest gang over online banking fraud

Police arrested an online fraud group that planted a malicious code on PCs to steal personal data and rob 200 million won (183,385 U.S. dollars) through online banking. The National Police Agency`s cyber investigation bureau said Monday it detained a man who took charge of the fraud and booked without detention a person involved in the act. The group had created a fake (pharming) bank website, collecting financial data from 198 people, and then accessing bank account of 12 among them to steal money. Police is collaborating with Chinese authorities to track whereabouts of the hacker who made the fake site.

According to police, the gangs targeted PCs with lax security updates. They hacked websites where victims would access frequently, and made a system where malware would be installed in victims` PCs when they accessed these sites.

When victims accessed portal sites or online banking in these infected PCs, the malicious code guided them to fake bank sites, which were elaborately made that even a bank employee fell to a victim. The group used the victims` personal information inputted including the name, resident registration number, bank account number, account password and security card serial number to transfer 200 million won (183,385 dollars) to fake bank deposit book. They were arrested while withdrawing the money.

A police officer said, "To prevent this kind of damage, people should install updated versions of necessary programs."

Windows update can be done by clicking the Start button, clicking the Control Panel, and clicking Windows Update. For Java (www.java.com/ko) and Flash Player (http://get.adobe.com/kr/flashplayer), updated version can be installed by downloading at respective sites.