Eight charged in US payroll scam

More than 2,000 cash machines were targeted

Eight Eastern Europeans have been charged in the US accused of taking part in a computer payroll hacking ring that stole $9m (£5m).

They are alleged to have hacked into an American payroll system and used the information to create fake debit cards.

A large network of accomplices allegedly used the cards to withdraw the money from cash machines in 280 cities round the world.

Officials said the group included Estonians, a Russian and a Moldovan.

The eight were charged by justice authorities in Georgia, where the Atlanta-based card-processing company, RBS WorldPay - part of Royal Bank of Scotland - was targeted.

A federal grand jury in Atlanta accused Estonian Sergei Tsurikov, Russian Viktor Pleshchuk, Moldovan Oleg Covelin, and a fourth unnamed person of crimes including wire fraud, computer fraud and aggravated identity theft.

'Sophisticated'

Four more Estonian residents were charged with access device fraud.

The US Justice Department said Mr Tsurikov, one of four suspects arrested in Estonia, was awaiting extradition to the US.

US officials said a network of "cashers" was provided with counterfeit payroll debit cards, which allow employees to withdraw their salaries in cash.

The money was taken from 2,100 bank cash machines within 12 hours in cities in the US, Russia, Estonia, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan and Canada.

"This investigation has broken the back of one of the most sophisticated computer hacking rings in the world," said acting US Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.