The US Justice Department announced on Tuesday that two Venezuelan nationals were arrested and charged recently over their role in an ATM jackpotting scheme.
In ATM jackpotting attacks, an ATM is hacked by installing a piece of malware on its hard drive or by replacing the drive with an infected device. The malware gives the attacker control over the ATM and causes it to dispense cash without the need to target a specific bank account.
The latest suspects identified and arrested by US authorities for conducting ATM jackpotting are David Jose Gomez-Cegarra, 24, and Jesus Segundo Hernandez-Gil, 19, both of Venezuela.
According to the DoJ, video surveillance captured one of their attacks in New York, where they removed the ATM’s cover using a key and installed “something” in the machine. They came back to the hacked ATM multiple times over the next several hours and made withdrawals totaling over $110,000.
Investigators believe they are also responsible for ATM jackpotting attacks at other financial institutions in New York, as well as in Massachusetts and Illinois, with roughly $187,000 stolen in these attacks.
Gomez-Cegarra and Hernandez-Gil were arrested by police in Illinois after their vehicle was stopped for “suspicious activity”. They have been charged with bank theft and conspiracy to commit bank theft, and they face up to 10 years in prison.
The announcement comes five months after the DoJ unveiled charges against six Venezuelan men over their role in an ATM jackpotting scheme. The suspects were arrested over a jackpotting operation carried out in December 2023 that resulted in the theft of $400,000 from ATMs across several New York counties.
It’s unclear if the cases are related, but both gangs are being prosecuted in New York, albeit in different districts.
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