Security Spotlight: Seasonal robberies, wanted: armed and dangerous, and more!

Welcome to the December Issue of the Security Spotlight

Barry Thompson's Monthly Security Tip

Ring in the robbery season
Bank robberies are traditionally on the rise during the holidays. It's a good time to review tips and procedures with your staff to protect themselves. It's also a good time to perform night inspections. We turned back the clocks last month and the days are shorter. Have you inspected your facilities for lighting, bushes or other objects that could increase the chances of your branch being robbed or staff/customers mugged?

Most Wanted: Armed and Dangerous

Robber on the run... Police have arrested two suspects in connection with a series of violent bank robberies in Colorado. Miguel Sanders and Tyrone Richardson are behind bars on $1 million bond for their roles in the latest heist that occurred in mid-November and left a trail of violence that included assaulting a bank teller and shooting two civilians during their escape. In this video, two men wearing green skeleton masks and a third suspect wearing a "Scream" mask entered the 1stBank in Lakewood, roughed up a teller, directed bank employees into the vault, and made off with over $50,000 in cash. The men got into a stolen Jeep Cherokee and after ditching the car, accosted several civilians, two of whom were shot and injured. Read more about the violent crime spree here.
Five other bank robberies in the region in the last six months involved masked robbers with a stolen Jeep Cherokee. The third suspect, who is considered armed and extremely dangerous, is on the loose. Myloh Jaqory Mason, 25, is wanted on a slew of potential charges including attempted first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. There is a $10,000 reward for information leading to Mason’s arrest. Anyone with information that could lead to Mason's whereabouts should contact the Lakewood Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP.

Check our Bank Robbery page for photos and information on the latest unknown bank bandits, many of them with sunglasses, hats or other head and facial coverings disguising their identity. Enforcing a no hats, hoods and sunglasses policy can help reduce the number of bandits who target your bank. Purchase No Hat Cling signs for all of your branches from the Banker Store.

Hot Topics from the Bankers Forums

The publicly accessible threads for Security were active this past month. The forums on our redesigned site have that familiar look, but are easier to read. There are several active discussions taking place, including what you will and won't share with other banks, such as ATM video footage, questions on responding to search warrants, and an alert about fraudulent email that likely had malware or a virus hidden in an XL attachment. Reminding customers to be vigilant this holiday season applies to your staff as well. Read more and comment here.

There have been more active discussions in the private forum for bankers only on security topics, and another that allows law enforcement and regulators access.

This "private" security forum is for discussion of more private, sensitive topics. That is where security officers were discussing Security Directors/Officers, breaches, when the FBI should be involved in the case of insider abuse, BSA software, 314(a) searches, and reducing the likelihood of a hostage and kidnap situation. The private forum for regulators and LEO has several discussions on SARs, and more.

To comment in Bankers' Threads you must be a registered user. You can register here. If using your bank email account, you will be given access to the private forums. The Private area is a group of forums under the heading "Private - Financial Institution Personnel Only." The Private forums do not include access to Bankers Hotline or Compliance Action, premium content areas that require paid subscriptions to those respective publications.

If you are already registered for the Threads, but don't yet have access to the private forums, using your bank email address send a request for access to brenda@bankersonline.com. Please verify that you do not yet have Private access. Once your registration request is approved, you can access the Private Security forum here.

CrimeDex: Counterfeiting and Other Scams

Counterfeit cashier's checks were reported by a northern New Jersey bank early in November. The checks were connected to Craigslist ads for online employment scams and merchandise purchases, including vehicle sales. Counterfeit $50 bills used in small purchases in Tennessee were the focus of a CrimeDex alert posted by the Secret Service. That agency also posted an alert asking for contacts from financial institutions that may have issued checks or payments on behalf of customers purchasing vehicles from "Enterprise Car Sales LLC."

Our "Brazen Scam of the Month" was reported by a central Florida county sheriff's office. Two victims reported being called by a woman claiming to represent the victims' financial institutions. The "representative" said the institutions were issuing new debit cards with embedded chips for improved security, and asked the victims to place their current cards under their doormats for pickup. Each of the victims complied with the request, and each reported subsequent unauthorized charges to their accounts. Inventive crooks and gullible consumers make an expensive combination. Would your customers fall for such an obvious scam? Do you keep them in the loop about exercising common sense and being smart when it comes to protecting their accounts?

Facebook Blog
Throughout the month, we share news-related incidents on Facebook that can be informative examples for training employees on security issues and more. Our Facebook page is gaining new users. We are pleased and hope that you continue to visit and find the information helpful. We appreciate the "likes" and hope you'll share our page with your fellow Security Officers and bankers, and ask them to "Like" us so they too can stay updated on the latest news.

November was another busy month with plenty of news to share. In case you missed it, check out the following posts:

• November started out with a reminder to warn your customers to be aware of account takeover attempts, malware and other cyber threats. 'Tis the season when customers let their guard down and hackers take advantage of the holidays to strike when detection and mitigation tends to drop during holiday schedules. The November 2nd post has a link to a $31 million theft in Europe.
• On November 12th, we link to a story about a good Samaritan who stopped a bank robber...or some may say a vigilante who pursued the robber. In a situation like this that can go from bad to worse, your bank needs to be proactive and have a plan in place for handling similar situations.
• A post shared on November 17th provides a lesson learned from Facebook and the terrible events in Paris. Does your bank have a check-in process in the event there is a disaster or situation that requires accountability? When was it last tested?
• Also on November 17th, we shared a story about an attempted bank robbery that resulted in a nightmare and tragedy. What is your procedure when a customer says, "I'm being forced to make a withdrawal, I'm being robbed and the armed robber has a hostage in the car out front"? If you haven't trained staff on this type of incident, read the article, watch the video, and figure out how your bank would respond – from contacting LEO to locking down the bank.
• The story of an employee and their family taken hostage with bank robbery as the motivating factor is posted on November 18th. Use this story as a training opportunity to remind staff to be watchful at work and at home.
• Remember, surveillance cameras - sharp, color, and well placed - can help catch the bad guy, or gal, quicker. November 18th has a link to a story that is a prime example of the effectiveness of cameras.
• BOL Guru Barry Thompson had alerted us to the violent robbery featured in our "Most Wanted" section in this issue. Read the article he shared in our November 23rd post, and see what lessons and training opportunities you can garner from it. Sometimes the message sinks in more with staff when the training includes real life events.
• Want to know the easiest way to rob an armored car? Our November 30th link answers that question.
• And we round out November with a story on chip and PIN cards. Many people believe the technology provides the best security available to end card theft. But when there is a smarter mouse trap, it seems to draw the smarter mice out. The November 30th link has details on how some more secure security features can still be defeated.

Read about these and other informative topics on our BOL Facebook page. Be sure to "Like" the articles so we can continue to post more articles of interest to you!