Security Spotlight: Dangerous bandit busted, counterfeits, ID theft, and more!

Welcome to the February Issue of the Security Spotlight

Barry Thompson's Monthly Security Tip

New Photocopiers
We received a call about a topic that we are beginning to research. An institution had recently purchased some small photocopiers. Typically, they prepare bait money listings by photocopying the bills, however they found that the new photocopiers wouldn't copy any currency. A third-party also told them that the photocopiers wouldn't copy drivers' licenses or passports. The institution is now testing those documents on the new photocopiers to see if this is true. If you are planning to buy or lease new photocopiers in the near future, you might want to inquire about this new development.

Most Wanted: Captured!

One Out of Ten Ain't Bad... A violent bank robber who was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, and featured in our December issue, has been captured. Myloh Jaqory Mason, also known as the "Scream" bandit, was apprehended by the FBI on January 15th in Thornton, Colorado. In his latest heist that earned him a spot on the FBI's infamous list, Mason and his accomplices robbed a bank, then broke into a house and shot a resident four times, stole his minivan, crashed that van and then shot an innocent bystander while trying to carjack her vehicle. Thankfully, neither of those incidents resulted in fatalities. A prior convicted violent felon, Mason faces charges related to possession of body armor for wearing a ballistic vest during one of the robberies, in addition to charges of attempted murder, attempted kidnapping, assault and bank robbery. An award of $100,000 was being offered for Mason’s arrest. While the FBI reports that regular police work led to his capture, bank staff's detailed observations during a robbery and public awareness can go a long way in making that police work a little easier.

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 had one key post in January that could be useful for staff training. It includes a link to nine online videos that cover check scams, internet fraud, and a lot more – and the best part is that the videos are free. Get more information about these videos and other topics being discussed in the Public Security forum.

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 having armed employees, duress codes, cash transfers, cash recyclers, 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

New Year, New BOL CrimeDex Alerts

Among the first BOL CrimeDex alerts for 2016 was a warning from the Midwest about a stolen check ring that has targeted large banks in that region. Stolen checks are altered and deposited, and funds withdrawn before the altered items were returned. This is a hard scam to stop because it takes time for check issuers to realize their checks are involved. Checks as large as $28,000 are involved in this ring's work!

Greenville, SC, police reported their arrest of a man who failed in an attempt to use a victim's ID and a counterfeit California driver's license in an attempt to withdraw $5,400 from the victim's account at a Wells Fargo branch in Greenville. The alert invited banks hit with similar scams to contact the Greenville department.

The Greenville PD also posted an alert about a Craigslist scam involving counterfeit cashier's checks purportedly drawn on Community Banks of Colorado. Another Craigslist scam was the subject of an alert from the Peabody, MA, PD, which identified a "home for rent" in the area offered at $800 a month, way below the market in that area. Similar "for rent" listings for other homes along the northern Massachusetts seacoast were also spotted. These scams were foiled, but when successful, similar listings have resulted in unwitting victims sending payments for "first and last" only to find out the home was actually for sale, and never available for rent.

This month's "Atta Girl" award goes to an ATM fraud victim who slipped up and failed to close out her ATM session before the woman behind her stepped up and made two additional $500 withdrawals from the victim's account. When the victim quickly realized what had happened, she photographed the suspect's vehicle and checked her account to see that $1,000 had been stolen. Citrus Heights, CA, police quickly spotted the vehicle and arrested the suspect and a passenger. And still we ask, why aren't all ATMs programmed to prevent this sort of theft?

Scams, frauds, counterfeits, robberies, ID theft and more. BOL CrimeDex alerts can sometimes help your bank recover losses. They are also invaluable sources of information on recent criminal activity that you can use to help your institution or its customers from becoming victims. And best of all ... it's FREE! If you have access to our private forums (see above), read the "CrimeDex Service FREE" notice in the second thread of the "Private - FI Personnel Only" forum.

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 was blowing up with activity in January. 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.

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

• The first of the year kicked off with a post about a new open carry weapon law that went into effect in Texas. There is a lot of controversy over open carry and concealed carry; in this post we link to a video from the Round Rock PD, with additional comments from the Texas Bankers Association on the subject. Even if you're not in Texas, chances are your state has or is considering a similar law, and this could be valuable information.
• On January 3rd we posted about $400K that was stolen with ATM cards. Spoiler alert: it was an inside job; yes, bankers. Review this post and ask if this could have been your bank?
• How do you prepare employees for a bank robber armed with a knife? Not generally the weapon of choice for most bandits, but it was for a robber in Chicago. In many cases a gun may not be loaded, but a knife can always be deadly. Read about this incident in our January 4th post.
• The story we shared on January 6th garnered national attention. Was actor Mike Rowe from the TV show "Dirty Jobs" a bank robber? It looked like he might be. Check it out.
• On January 7th we shared a strange post on ID theft. There are some common reasons people steal – three of them most often being related to substance abuse problems, extramarital affairs or gambling. In this case, people without credit were victimized with plastic surgery as the motive. You have to read this one.
• If you need a good laugh, read our January 11th post about a privacy faux pas that released confidential information for those attending – wait for it – a meeting on protecting online information.
• January 13th has a post about more insider crime. How did a CFO steal $20 million over 12 years?
• Our January 22nd post revisits lousy passwords. Copy this list and distribute it to your employees to see who is using one of these common bad passwords, and urge those who are to change it right away.
• We had another highly viewed story also posted on January 22nd. This was a tragic story of a fatal bank robbery, a teller being shot, a customer taken hostage and used as a human shield, and the death of the robber. There's a lot more to the story, and a follow-up that will leave a bad taste in your mouth.
• Our final post of the month on the 26th was about a frightening incident involving not just one bank robber, but four!

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!