SOUTH BEND — An international bank scam is spreading, and there is some idea how that information may have gotten out.

Hundreds of people and dozens of banks and credit unions across our area are trying to recover from a major security breach.

The financial institutions involved include Teachers Credit Union, MFB and the Farm Bureau Credit Union in Goshen — just to name a few.

Now, some companies are pointing their finger at one bank for the source of the breach.

Beth Baker was at the St. Joseph County police station before we caught up with her outside the Notre Dame Federal Credit Union downtown.

“It's so maddening because it is a hassle,” exclaimed Baker. “It's so time consuming to be able to go to the bank, the police, and back to the bank."

On Tuesday night her husband found six mysterious withdrawals from their account. They totaled between $200 and $300. They all happened on Tuesday, and they all happened in Denmark.

“It's just this convoluted sequence of numbers and letters that didn't indicate any particular retail outlet,” said Baker.

She's not alone.

In St. Joseph County more than 40 people have filed reports since Friday. More than 20 people have filed reports at the South Bend police station. Plus, hundreds of cards from South Bend to Goshen are believed to be compromised.

So how did this happen?

“The pieces are starting to come together,” said Jim Seitz with 1st Source Bank.

In May, hackers got into 1st Source Bank's server that holds their debit card information. That included their debit card holders, as well as other people from other banks who used a 1st Source ATM machine.

“These are a very sophisticated group of hackers,” said Seitz. “I mean, this isn't some 17-year-old kid in the basement. They are very well organized, very well funded, and they have been attacking institutions and organizations through the country for some time now."

Seitz says they're now investigating whether the security breach played a role.

“There's no question that we're seeing transactions coming out of Ukraine, out of Russia, out of Czechoslovakia, and other financial institutions are seeing the same things. So as you piece it together, there's obviously some evidence to point you in that direction,” said Seitz.

But for Beth Baker her concern now is what will happen once this is long over.

“You know, Notre Dame [Federal Credit Union] has assured me I'm going to get the dollars back that were taken out of my account. But we're all going to pay for it in the long run. One way or another; we'll all end up paying,” said Baker.

Most banks say they can refund your money taken within 24 hours.

If you do notice money missing from your account, you are urged to first call your financial institution.

You should follow up in writing by certified letter, so you can prove when the institution received your letter.

Be sure to keep a copy of the letter for your records.

You have 60 days from the date your bank account statement is sent to report any money taken from your account without permission.