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TWO suspects who allegedly stole more than 160,000 yuan (US$20,700) from a Shanghai resident through the Internet - the largest such theft so far in the city - are in police custody, authorities said yesterday.
The arrests were made by Shanghai investigators in cooperation with officers in Yunnan Province.
"I was relieved to hear the news," said the victim, Cai Zhong, a 33-year-old software company director. "Though I still don't know how much was recovered, I hope my losses can be a good lesson for other computer users."
Officers began sifting through cyberspace on March 10 when Cai reported the loss of a large sum of money via two credit cards issued by China Construction Bank. Based on information from the bank and the victim, investigators determined that Cai's computer must have been attacked by hackers and infected by a virus that enabled the thieves to obtain his bank account numbers and PIN codes, said Zhu Zhangming of the Luwan District Public Security Bureau.
Further investigation showed that someone deposited the money into an account registered in Kunming, Yunnan Province, and then withdrew it, Zhu said.
Shanghai investigators were dispatched to Kunming and focused on a 31-year-old man surnamed Bai and his 27-year-old girlfriend, Ge.
Tale of the tape
"Bai worked in the development department of a software company and was an Internet expert," Zhu said. "The videotape taken by the bank's surveillance camera showed Bai withdrew the money."
Police seized the two suspects last Wednesday as well as the computer the pair allegedly used to commit the theft.
"They confessed they carried out an elaborate conspiracy," said Qu Weifang of Luwan bureau's Information Security Office. "The suspects targeted Cai when he was surfing a shopping Website and e-mailed him a picture of clothing that contained a Trojan horse virus."
The program allowed the pair to obtain Cai's online banking information and steal from his account, Qu said.
He warned Internet users to make sure their computers were equipped with updated anti-virus programs to avoid similar scams.
Cai, however, blamed his losses on the bank.
"I strictly observed the safety rules requested by the bank," he told Shanghai Daily. "But the bank failed to do its part."
Cai believes the bank should have locked the Internet address he used for online transactions.
"They failed to send any warning when almost all the money in my account was transferred to another," he said.
China Construction Bank denied there were loopholes in its online system and said it would not pay compensation.
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