Mexican Arrested in Honduras for Hacking ATMs and Stealing $7,000
Police in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, arrested a 25‑year‑old Mexican citizen from Culiacán, Sinaloa, suspected of fraudulently withdrawing approximately 190,000 lempiras (about US$7,000) from several automated teller machines. Investigators say the suspect used a mobile‑phone‑based program to bypass the ATMs’ card requirement, sending codes that authorized cash dispensation. The operation was triggered after a bank detected irregular transactions and alerted the national emergency system 911. Officers from the Dirección Policial de Investigaciones, together with Interpol Honduras and the Dirección Nacional de Prevención y Seguridad Comunitaria, located the suspect near a North Boulevard ATM and seized the cash and the phone. He was placed under custody and transferred to the public ministry for prosecution. Authorities are reviewing whether the individual acted alone or as part of a wider cyber‑fraud network.
Entities: Chihuahua · Culiacán, Sinaloa · Dirección Policial de Investigaciones (DPI) · Fiscalía General del Estado · Interpol Honduras · Policía Municipal de Chihuahua · Policía Nacional de Honduras · San Pedro Sula · Víctor Hugo N. G.
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The suspect was taken into custody and handed over to the public ministry for prosecution. (post‑arrest procedure)
- [● 4 SOURCES] A 25‑year‑old Mexican from Culiacán, Sinaloa was arrested in San Pedro Sula, Honduras for ATM fraud. (suspect identity and age)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The fraud involved accessing ATM systems without a card, using a mobile‑phone program to send codes that authorized cash withdrawals. (method description)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The arrests were carried out by the Dirección Policial de Investigaciones (DPI) in coordination with Interpol Honduras and the Dirección Nacional de Prevención y Seguridad Comunitaria (DNPSC). (agencies involved)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The operation was launched after a bank detected irregular transactions and alerted the national emergency system 911. (trigger event)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The suspect allegedly withdrew about 190,000 lempiras (≈ US$7,000) from ATMs using a smartphone‑based hacking tool. (amount and method)