Venezuelan ambassador concerned over ATM thefts accusation

The Venezuelan Embassy here is deeply concerned over the veracity of information published, with regard to the alleged Latin American involvement in the recent automated teller machine (ATM) thefts.

Its ambassador, Manuel Guzman Hernandez said the publication of the supposed identity and nationality of suspects without confirmation by the proper authorities was inappropriate.

He said the Latin American region comprised more than 600 million people, whose ethnic roots were widely diverse, coming from different places of the world.

"I would like to highlight that there is no confirmation of the identity of the persons involved in the crime (ATM thefts)," he added in a statement here Friday.

Furthermore, noted Hernandez, the ambassadors of Latin American countries represented in Malaysia held meetings with the local law enforcement authorities to establish a proper cooperation mechanism to allow better collaboration in dealing with problems.

Last week, a syndicate believed to comprise Latin Americans, hacked into several ATMs in Johor, Malacca and Selangor, and made away with RM1.271 million.

The banks involved were Affin Bank Berhad and Affin Islamic Bank Berhad.

On Sept 29, the police received another report, this time involving a bank in Kota Damansara here, which reported the loss of about RM300,000.