Six arrested in hack of French president's bank account

Six people were arrested in France this week suspected of hacking into French President Nicolas Sarkozy's bank account, according to French wire service AFP, citing a source close to the inquiry. 

In September, criminals got hold of Sarkozy's bank account login information and stole small sums of money, an incident first reported by French newspaper, Le Journal du Dimanche.

Five of the suspects arrested work at a mobile phone store and reportedly opened fraudulent phone accounts with the bank card credentials of about 50 victims, including Sarkozy. The sixth individual involved is suspected of requesting the hack, reports said.

The 50 victims included Sarkozy, his father and his first wife, Marie-Dominique Culioli. 

French Secretary of State for Consumer Affairs Luc Chatel recently told French radio that there has been a nine percent increase in the rise of internet banking security breaches this year in France.