A Russian national fled the country Monday after helping steal NT$70 million (S$2.9 million) in cash from First Commercial Bank (第一銀行) ATMs over the weekend, the police said this morning.
A Taiwanese suspect is believed to still be in the country, while both the nationality and whereabouts of a third suspect remain unknown.
Malware that caused cash to be automatically dispensed was installed on 34 teller machines in Taipei and Taichung. This is the first reported instance of such ATM hacking ever in Taiwan.
The police, citing video footage and other evidence, said two suspects operated the machines while the other remained in the getaway vehicle.
Because the money was not withdrawn from individual accounts, customers will not bear any losses, a First Bank official said.
Initial reports said two Russians were involved, but an officer at Taipei City Police Department’s Daan Precinct said this morning that only one Russian national had so far been identified, adding that the investigation was still in its early stages.
To prevent additional losses, First Bank has suspended the operation of 300 of its 768 ATMs nationwide. Bank of Taiwan (台灣銀行), Chang Hwa Bank (彰化銀行) and Taiwan Cooperative Bank (合作金庫) use the same ATM model and have also temporarily halted teller machine services.
