Crooks have infected point-of-sale devices in South Africa with malware, obtaining customer card details and using them to steal millions of rand, according to local reports.
The gang is understood to have targeted fast-food restaurants, including KFC, earlier this year, infecting POS terminals with a variant of the Dexter malware, according to Tech Central.
It then used the data to make counterfeit cards or sold it on to others. Some compromised card numbers have been used to make purchases in the US, leading to arrests, says Tech Central.
Payments Association of South Africa chief Walter Volker confirmed the outbreak, which has cost South Africa's banks tens of millions of rand.
The South African Police Service, Interpol and Europol are all investigating the issue, while infected POS devices have been removed.
Volker says customers should keep an eye on their banks statements and advises anyone with a mag-stripe card to ask for a chip one.