A member of an international crime syndicate has been arrested in connection with the Internet banking scam affecting about 50 customers of two of SA`s major banks.
Herman Singh, director of technology engineering at Standard Bank, says the person was arrested in Cape Town and will appear in court on Monday.
"It appears the individual arrested is one of the kingpins - he was in possession of login passwords for approximately 50 customers, of which about a quarter were Standard Bank clients," he says.
Four more suspects are being questioned, he adds.
Not a South African
Singh reveals that the affected banks, in collaboration with the authorities, were able to track the Cape Town-based individual (who he confirms is not a South African) by using forensic investigation methods including technical audits of message traffic.
He adds that the damage caused by the syndicate is relatively small. "We caught it in time," he explains.
It was previously reported that compromised public computers were discovered in Fourways, Paulshof, Johannesburg International Airport and Cape Town.
Multiple-country attack
Singh adds that servers linked to the syndicate have been detected in more than one country, although he says at the moment he can only confirm that one of the servers was located in Estonia.
"It is a multiple-country type of attack."
However, Makhosini Nkosi, spokesperson for the National Prosecution Authority, refuses to confirm or deny that an arrest has been made, or reveal how many others are being questioned.
"The investigation is very sensitive - and it is still continuing," he says.
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