Darknet Diaries Recounts ATM Cash-Out Scheme That Stole $2.8 Million in New York
· 38:01 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Summary
Darknet Diaries recounts how a Yonkers crew used cloned prepaid debit cards to steal $2.8 million from New York ATMs in 2013. Prosecutor Loretta Lynch explains how processor intrusions enabled inflated withdrawal limits.
Key points
- The episode describes Alberto Yusi Lajud-Pena recruiting an eight-person crew to withdraw cash using cloned debit cards supplied through an online contact.
- The crew reportedly collected $382,000 on December 21, 2012, and delivered around $200,000 to a handler in Bucharest, Romania.
- A second operation on February 19, 2013, yielded $2.8 million through approximately 3,000 ATM withdrawals across New York City.
- Federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch said the second operation used a single prepaid debit account whose limit had been raised to $40 million after attackers gained control inside card processors.
- Authorities announced eight New York indictments and seven people in custody. Lajud-Pena fled to the Dominican Republic, where he was subsequently killed.
- The host identifies Seagate as the operation's mastermind and says he coordinated cash-out teams worldwide; the transcript does not independently establish that attribution.
Article Details
- Topics
- [03:33] Online recruitment into stolen-card cash-out operations
- [09:51] Cloning debit cards and organizing coordinated ATM withdrawals
- [12:26] December 2012 cash-out and delivery of proceeds to Romania
- [20:32] February 2013 operation that collected $2.8 million
- [27:53] Investigation, arrests, and the crew leader's flight
- [34:50] Prosecutor explains processor compromise and prepaid account limit manipulation
- [36:28] Host attributes the wider global operation to Seagate
People
Threat Actors
Alberto Yusi Lajud-PenaThe episode identifies him as the organizer of an eight-person Yonkers cash-out crew that used cloned debit cards in two ATM theft operations. Authorities announced indictments against the New York crew; he fled to the Dominican Republic and was killed there.SeagateThe host identifies Seagate as the mastermind who supplied the cards and coordinated cash-out teams worldwide. This attribution is presented by the host and is not independently established within the transcript.
Countries
Dominican Republic[00:09] have ancestry that traces back to the Dominican Republic. Apparently,Romania[18:06] to Eastern Europe. Specifically, they were told to bring around $200,000 to Bucharest, Romania,United States[01:36] and when he was a teenager, his family immigrated to the United States, to Yonkers,