The gendarmerie has been investigating since last October a series of attacks on ATMs in France, using the “jackpotting” technique. The criminals drill a hole in the ticket machine, connect their computer to the network of cables inside and hack into the computer system to force the machine to empty itself of its tickets.
Last week, on the night of Monday to Tuesday, a team thus emptied a distributor in Corrèze, 25,000 euros stolen from Bort-les-Orgues. The following night, they are spotted on an attack in Haute-Loire. The following night again, they tried to attack the Banque Postale cash dispenser in Bourg-Saint-Andéol.
It was only a few hours later, Thursday February 3, that two suspects were arrested in a hotel in Vaucluse. Three accomplices are also arrested. 70,000 euros in cash are seized during searches. The band hails from Eastern Europe. They are likely to have committed 22 acts in France. The total damage is estimated at more than 300,000 euros underlines the press release from the national gendarmerie.
The five suspects are indicted for “organized theft and attempted theft” and “obstructing the operation of a data processing system”. Three were remanded in custody. Another suspect is incarcerated but has requested a deferred debate on the security measure. The fifth man arrested is placed under judicial control.