The Hawks in the Eastern Cape have arrested two men linked to a scheme where they use rogue software to make unauthorised and potentially unlimited withdrawals from ATMs.

After netting R7-million in cash from hacked ATMs in the Western Cape, two men who were posing as cash-in-transit guards were arrested near Peddie in the Eastern Cape earlier this week.

Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba said after the men's arrest in East London, they were linked to another ATM hacking in Mdantsane and will appear again in court for this charge on Thursday, 20 March 2025.

While the men appeared in court on Wednesday, 19 March, he said the investigation is at a sensitive stage and their names are being kept secret.

In 2018, the US Secret Service warned about "jackpotting software", saying at the time that ATM jackpotting is a sophisticated crime in which thieves install malicious software and/or hardware at ATMs that force the machines to dispense huge volumes of cash on demand. Similar arrests were made in Europe last year.

"To execute a jackpotting attack, perpetrators must gain physical access to the cash machine and install malware, or specialised electronics, or a combination of both, to control the operations of the ATM," the US statement read.

Last year, four men were arrested in New York after they used jackpot software to hack ATMs, allowing...