Authorities in the US have charged members of a criminal gang which is thought to be responsible for the theft of more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers, it has emerged.
The group is accused of hacking into retailers' wireless computer networks to obtain information such as the account number and password of cards and using them to withdraw tens of thousands of dollars at a time from ATMs, finextra.com reported.
It said the group was able to disguise its activity by encrypting the information and channelling funds through bank accounts in eastern Europe.
The news provider says it is believed to be the largest hacking and ID fraud case yet prosecuted by the US department of justice.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Abbey has found that six million Britons use only one PIN or password for all of their bank accounts.
Steve Shore, Abbey director of banking, advised consumers to aim for a combination of numbers and letters for passwords in order to minimise the risk of banking fraud.
