Data stolen from ATM outside DGP’s Colaba office

Though the police have barely begun the probe after registering an FIR into the cloning fraud, there are indications of the modus operandi used by the fraudsters.

Though the police have barely begun the probe after registering an FIR into the cloning fraud, there are indications of the modus operandi used by the fraudsters.

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Sources say the initial probe, which is being aided by the bank’s technical experts, reveals the money was withdrawn after the data was stolen from the ATM kiosk of the bank, which is located right outside the DGP’s office in Colaba.

Sources said a skimming device had been fitted to the ATM, which transferred the electronic data from the cards swiped on the machine.

Clones were prepared and sent to Greece to bypass local laws and police jurisdiction, police sources said. Deputy commissioner of police ( zone 3) Vinayak Deshmukh, who is heading a special team, said they are obtaining the CCTV footage in the kiosk for April and May.

When asked how the cloned cards could be used without knowing the PIN number, a senior crime branch official said, “The PIN data is believed to be stored in the magnetic tape of the cards. When the entire data was skimmed from the cards, it would naturally include the PIN data as well,” he said.