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Video shows man explaining how to hack Santander ATM

Numerous arrests reportedly made after scammers learned of hack 

Chelsea Ritschel
New York
Wednesday 19 August 2020 22:03 BST
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Video shows how scammer hacks Santander ATM (The Post)
Video shows how scammer hacks Santander ATM (The Post)

A man has created a video showing how to “hackSantander bank ATMs following reports numerous people have been arrested for exploiting the software glitch.

In the video, obtained by the New York Post, the unidentified man shows how to access the glitch, which allowed customers to withdraw more money than was available on prepaid debit cards.

“This is the beginning, you put your pin in and everything,” the man can be heard stating in the video, before instructing viewers to then click the withdraw and checking buttons on the ATM.

“You click $200. After you click $200, you go back. Click other, customise withdrawal. You click choose your own mix,” the man continues to explain. “Press the $20 option one time. Once you see that 11 you know you lit.”

According to the video, the hack allowed the man to “keep doing transactions”.

While the video does not show the exact amount the man was able to withdraw from the account, it does show the machine preparing to release money.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the bank told NJ.com that it was aware of “suspicious activity” related to its ATMs and had temporarily closed the machines “out of an abundance of caution.”

“We are continuing to cooperate with law enforcement as they investigate this situation and apologise for any customer inconvenience,” she told the outlet. “As we work to expeditiously resolve this situation, our customers should know that there is no impact to their accounts or funds, which can be accessed online, using our digital app, in our branches or at non-branch ATMs.”

A source told the outlet that the hack allowed “tens of thousands of dollars” to be “fraudulently obtained”.

According to NBC, the hack was part of a widespread scheme spanning New York and New Jersey.

In a statement to The Independent, a Santander spokesperson said: "Santander is pleased to report that following yesterday’s events branches are open and ATMs are back online, though ATMs are open to Santander customers only for the time being. The bank hopes to have ATMs available to non-customers in the near future and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. All Santander employees are safe, and we continue to follow our safety and security protocols at all our locations. Customers should know that there has been no impact to their accounts, data or funds, and we continue to cooperate with law enforcement as they investigate this situation."

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