News

Master ATM key theft a close call in Canberra

May 16, 2013

Thieves made off with cash from five ATMs in the Australian capital of Canberra on Monday night after stealing a set of electronic ATM keys. But while five was bad enough, it could have been far worse.

"The manfacturer of all the ATMs in Canberra is the same, as is the technology used, meaning the key could access all ATMs," a police spokesperson said in a report by IT News. Police did not name the ATM manufacturer, however both Diebold and NCR have a strong presence in the region, the report said.

Police said the keys could have been used at ATMs all across the state, affecting all banks. As it happened, authorities managed to disable them before further thefts could be carried out. 

There was no word about the amount stolen from the five ATMs that were opened, nor was there any indication that the police had identified a possible suspect or suspects.

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