A credit card ring that has stretched globally, netting an estimated 45 million in loot, has been broken up by the arrest of it's New York cell. One of the aspects of the theft was the ability to increase the credit limit on the cards, thereby allowing the ring to withdraw large amounts of cash.

New York federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch spoke of "a massive 21st century bank heist that reached across the internet and stretched around the globe." Adding: "In the place of guns and masks, this cyber crime organisation used laptops and the internet."

The New York cell alone is believed to have netted $2.8 million within only a few hours – using several hundred ATMs in the New York borough of Manhattan. "The organisation worked its way from the computer systems of international corporations to the streets of New York City," Lynch explained.