Australian police have cracked an online crime syndicate suspected of stealing funds from Internet banking customers using keylogging programs.
According to an Australian Associated Press report, police in Perth had been tracking a gang for three months before arresting and charging a 24 year old computer engineer with more than 30 offences, including 15 counts of stealing and 15 of unlawful access of a computer.
The man is due to appear in Perth Magistrates Court on 1 November. Other suspected members of the gang are likely to be charged later.
The gang reportedly stole customer login ids and passwords using keylogging software and then used the information to steal cash from Web banking accounts. The stolen funds were then transferred into the accounts of "mules" who were offered cash in exchange for the use of their bank accounts.
Police told reporters that dozens of customers had been conned by the scam and a "significant" amount of money had been stolen by the gang. Multiple banks had been targeted but names of specific financial institutions were not disclosed.