South Africa central bank urges vigilance after ATM heist in Japan

Johannesburg

SOUTH Africa's central bank told lenders to be vigilant on Wednesday after criminals in Japan stole millions of dollars from automatic teller machines using fake credit cards from South Africa's Standard Bank.

The criminal gang made 14,000 withdrawals in just three hours from bank machines at 7-Eleven convenience stores across Japan on May 15, withdrawing 1.4 billion yen (S$17.5 million), according to a source familiar with the matter.