Computer ‘Hackers’ Held in W. Germany

Police have arrested four computer “hackers” said to have robbed banks in the Frankfurt area of more than $50,000 by manipulating cash dispenser cards with a home computer.

Hesse State police said the four, one woman and three men, had been roaming Frankfurt and surrounding towns since May with a computer plugged into the battery of their Mercedes limousine. They were arrested at the end of November.

The four hackers bought bank cash cards for $1,500 apiece from their family and friends, who then notified their bank that the cards had been stolen.

The four then used their computer to changes the codes on the cards’ magnetic strip so that they could withdraw more money than the limit set by the cards from automatic tellers, or to tap other accounts.

Under a law on computer crime passed last August, the four face jail terms of up to five years if charged and found guilty.