France

Two arrested for hacking Sarkozy's bank account

Article published on the 2008-10-21 Latest update 2008-10-21 15:55 TU

(Credit: Wikimedia)

French police arrested two suspects on Tuesday as part of a search for computer hackers who broke into French President Nicolas Sarkozy's bank account and withdrew money. Sarkozy alerted authorities last month after small amounts were taken from his personal account and used to open mobile phone subscriptions.

A source close to the investigation indicated that the hackers did not know they were dipping into the French president's account. The two men are from the Democratic Republic of Congo and have been detained in the Paris region.

The source added that other people's accounts were most probably affected. The news of the hacking into the president's bank account appeared in the French press this weekend after the president filed a complaint in September.

This tactic, called 'skimming', where banking details are 'phishing', where computer users are attacked with spam, are fairly common.

This particular issue proves that the "banking system via internet is not infallible," Consumer Affairs Junior Minister Luc Chatel said on Sunday. Chatel said that sanctions towards the bank in question were not being ruled out, if clients' information had been misused.