Plot foiled to steal 421 million dollars from Sumitomo in Britain
AFP
Date: 03-17-05
LONDON (AFP) - A high-tech gang tried to steal 220 million pounds (421 million dollars) from the London offices of the Japanese banking group Sumitomo and transfer the funds to 10 bank accounts around the world.
The Financial Times said police have been investigating the case since October, when the gang gained access to Sumitomo's computer systems and tried to transfer the cash electronically.
The plot -- one of the most audacious thefts attempted in London for many years -- was uncovered before any cash was transferred, it added.
The police investigation has extended as far as Israel, one of the countries to which the gang attempted to transfer money, the Financial Times said. The other countries were not mentioned.
Israeli police on Wednesday arrested a man whose business account had been the intended recipient of some of the cash, the daily said. The man was charged with money laundering and deception.
It is understood that the investigation, which is being conducted by the National High Tech Crime Unit of the British police in co-operation with the Israeli police, is ongoing, the newspaper said.
The daily said Philip Martin, general counsel of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Europe, confirmed an investigation but declined to discuss it further.
Sumitomo stressed it had not suffered any financial loss as a result of the attempted fraud, it said.
The daily said rumors of the attempted theft had been circulating in police and corporate security circles since late last year after the police warned financial institutions to be on the alert for criminals using technology that can record every key stroke made on a computer.
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