Computer hackers are preying on backpackers, using internet cafes to steal
thousands of dollars of travellers' savings from online bank accounts.
British fraud investigators have told Edward Crow, 23, they believe £4000
($11,000) was shifted from his British bank account two weeks ago by a
hacker operating out of a cafe in Kings Cross.
The investigators believe password-stealing software was installed on a
computer in one of three cafes used by Mr Crow to check his bank account in
January. The cafes would have been the unaware of the software, which
tracked Mr Crow's keystrokes.
Two days after transferring money from his bank account at an internet
cafe, Mr Crow discovered another £4000 had been moved into the account of a
stranger.
Within hours of leaving Mr Crow's account, the money had been withdrawn
from automatic teller machines in London in two transactions of £2000.
Mr Crow's bank, HSBC, has refunded the money and referred the case to
British police.
"The British police said it appears to be a worldwide problem, but this
isn't the first case in Australia of this type," Mr Crow said. "The device
or software they are using can't be too difficult to get hold of."
NSW police said they had not yet heard of the theft; nor had the Australian
Federal Police.
Mr Crow, who saved for a year to travel to Australia, said he was warning
other backpackers about the scam.
Bruce Abbott, manager of the Original Backpackers on Victoria Street, said
he was not aware of any hacker attacks on computers in the hostel. But Mr
Abbott said anyone who looked like a backpacker could easily walk into the
building.
"We don't provide any precautions online," he said. "It is up to the user
to cover themselves and look at the security procedures on the particular
service they are using."
The Global Gossip internet cafe chain lost $750,000 in phone card fraud
last year. However, its owner, Peter Ovenden, said the company had never
detected internet fraud or keystroke software.
"I'd be mortified if it was us," said Mr Ovenden. Global Gossip, which has
a store on Darlinghurst Road, had a policy of wiping its computers each
night to remove programs downloaded by customers, he said.
Mr Ovenden said the area had "some really dodgy little internet cafes which
have no virus software or protection".
HSBC plans to change its online procedures to make it more difficult to
detect passwords. New methods prompt users to supply random numbers from a
password on each visit
http://smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/09/1044725675187.html
