Bank of Ireland ripped off by computer expert

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard how a computer specialist for the Bank of Ireland, increased his girlfriend’s overdraft limit to over €40,000 and withdrew almost €50,000 from ATM's over two months.

Wiktor Wolcaski, originally from Wroclaw, Poland, pleaded guilty to seven counts of theft and using a computer for fraud in March and February 2008, said he needed the money because his girlfriend had an unnamed medical problem which he believed required an operation. Wolcaski had been living in Ireland since 2005 and had got a job in the Debt Recovery Unit. In September 2007, his girlfriend opened a Bank Of Ireland account and shortly afterwards, Wolcaski began to gradually alter her account by increasing its overdraft and credit rating. He initially raised the daily withdrawal limit to the maximum of €1,300 a day and then gradually increased the overdraft limit until it reached €47,000. Finally, he altered the credit rating to make it look more favourable to lend to.

Over the course of two months, Wolcaski went to ATM machines across Dublin almost daily and usually withdrew the maximum amount allowed. His problems started when an alert system highlighted the unusual withdrawals to the Fraud Prevention Unit of the bank. The suspicions were investigated and, because the changes had been made using Wolcaski's username, Gardai were called in and Wolcaski was arrested.

Bank of Ireland recovered most of the money from his home and other banks whose ATMs Wolcaski used to make withdrawals.