A Turkish man accused of masterminding a series of ATM cyberheists that netted his gang $55 million, has pleaded guilty in a New York court.
Ercan Findikoglu pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to five counts, including computer intrusion conspiracy, according to Reuters.
According to authorities, Findikoglu hacked the computer networks of at least three payment processors, sought out Visa and MasterCard prepaid cards and increased their account balances. He then allegedly managed a team that gave the stolen card data to teams of "cashing crews" around the world that carried out three coordinated raids of tens of thousands of ATM withdrawals.
The first cash-out affected cards issued by JPMorgan Chase and used by the American Red Cross and happened in February 2011, with $10 million taken in around 15,000 withdrawals in at least 18 countries. A second attack in December 2012 involving cards issued by National Bank of Ras Al-Khaimah took $5 million, while a third, in February 2013, saw the gang use Bank Muscat card data to steal $40 million in 36,000 withdrawals in 24 countries.
Findikoglu and other high-ranking gang members received the proceeds from other co-conspirators in various forms, including by wire transfer, electronic currency and the personal delivery of cash, it is alleged.
He was arrested in Germany in late 2013 and spent 18 months in jail there before being extradited last summer and initially pleading not guilty to 18 charges.