German jailed over new card-skimming technology

LONDON, (Reuters) – A German computer whizz-kid was  jailed today after trying to bring new bank card scamming  technology into Britain.
Thomas Beeckmann, 26, was stopped in June at London’s  Victoria coach station having just arrived from Holland.
Police found 17 electronic circuits capable of stealing 150  million pounds a year from chip and PIN machines, the Press  Association reported.
Prosecutor Caroline Haughey told the Old Bailey that three  of the devices had already been adapted to be used with  bluetooth.
It meant that for the first time crooks could automatically  get banking details as cards were fed into ATMs at banks or  during purchases at stores.
The crook would receive the details on to his laptop or  mobile phone up to 100 metres away, she said.
Beeckmann was thought to have been on his way to demonstrate  the technology to potential buyers in the U.K.
But he had refused to give investigators the password for  his encrypted laptop which prevented finding further evidence to  charge him with more serious offences.
Beeckmann, a software expert living in Thailand, pleaded  guilty to having the 17 circuits for use in fraud and failure to  disclose his password.
He was jailed for a total of three years.
Judge Anthony Morris told him: “It seems to have been a  dummy run.
“This equipment showed levels of sophistication not  previously seen by investigators in this country.”