An international computer hacking gang broke into the computerized cash registers electronically at the Dave and Buster’s restaurant in Islandia and stole credit card information of 675 customers.

Authorities say the alleged hackers obtained more than 5,000 customer credit card numbers, which they then used to make fraudulent purchases around the world using software called “packet sniffers,” which vacuumed up card data used at the restaurant and arcade chain.

The hacking took place from April to September 2007 and was lucrative, according to court filings. At Dave & Buster’s Islandia, New York, location, for example, the hackers accessed details of about 5,000 payment cards. The information was sold to other criminals who then used the card numbers to scam online merchants. The criminals were able to post at least US$600,000 in fraudulent transactions from 675 cards taken from this one store.

Maksym Yastremskiy, of Kharkov, Ukraine, and Aleksandr Suvorov, of Sillamae, Estonia, were charged in a 27-count indictment with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, conspiracy to possess unauthorized access devices, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, computer fraud and interception of electronic communications.