By Michael Mcdonough, The Associated Press
LONDON -- Police foiled a high-tech attempt to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from a Japanese bank’s London offices by accessing its computer system and making money transfers, British and Israeli authorities said Thursday.
Israeli police, working with British officers, arrested a man Wednesday in connection with the attempt to rob Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc., police in Israel said in a statement.
Police in Britain confirmed there was a “failed attempted theft” last year at the London offices of Sumitomo Mitsui but didn’t say what sum was involved or how the attempt was made. Sumitomo Mitsui also confirmed an attempted theft, but refused to give details.
The British police’s National Hi-Tech Crime Unit began an investigation in October after criminals accessed Sumitomo Mitsui’s computers, the Israeli statement said. It said they tried unsuccessfully to transfer $293.8 million to 10 bank accounts around the world, including that of the Israeli suspect.
The Financial Times said the thieves tried to steal $424 million.
Israeli police said the suspect, Yaron Bolondi, 32, was arrested on suspicion of trying to launder $26.8 million. A Tel Aviv magistrate remanded Bolondi into custody for seven days.
Felicity Bull, a spokeswoman for Britain’s National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, declined to discuss the alleged plot, except to say Israel had arrested a man in connection with the case. She wouldn’t say whether British police had made any arrests.
According to the Financial Times, the plot involved using keylogging software that would have enabled the thieves to track every button pressed on computer keyboards and learn account numbers, passwords and other sensitive information.
The newspaper said it was unclear whether the criminals gained physical access to Sumitomo Mitsui’s offices or whether they installed the keylogging software by hacking into the bank’s computer system from outside.
Steve Purdham, CEO of Web security company SurfControl PLC, said the attempted theft should alert businesses to the threat posed by keylogging and other spyware programs.
“Spyware is by no means a new threat and has been around in various forms for a number of years, but the difference now is that the criminal community is now starting to exploit it to its advantage,” Purdham said.
A spokesman at Sumitomo Mitsui’s headquarters in Tokyo declined to discuss the alleged theft attempt, but stressed that the bank had not lost any money.
“We have taken sufficient measures in terms of security and have not suffered any financial damage,” Takashi Moria said.