Security Spotlight: Bandits on billboards, scam alerts, fiends on Facebook, and more!

Welcome to the May Issue of the Security Spotlight

Barry Thompson's Monthly Security Tip

When Senior Customers Abuse or Threaten Staff
One problem all financial institutions face is when a senior citizen becomes abusive toward or threatens to harm staff. When this behavior becomes an ongoing problem from one of their senior customers, many institutions don't want to face it head on. There may be concerns about the institution's public image or reluctance to mistreat a senior citizen. Unfortunately, when met with this type of problem, no decision is a decision to do nothing. It is recommended that you handle the situation the same as you would with a customer who falls in any age group. Allow someone to threaten or mistreat your staff can lead to various problems, including potential physical attacks on one or more of your employees. Take proper steps to ensure that doesn't happen and end the relationship before an unfortunate incident occurs.

Most Wanted: Nationwide search

Buffalo bandits still at large...Two of the three suspects who stole nearly $80,000 from Evans Bank in Tonawanda, NY on January 8, 2016, are still at large. In effort to track them down, the FBI has launched a nationwide campaign and is offering a hefty reward. Mohsin Zamir, 31, and Waqar Ghumman, 28, pointed BB guns at bank employees and customers, and forced their way into the vault. Nicholas Graham, 46, was outside keeping watch with the motor running during the heist. After the robbery, investigators tracked Zamir, Ghumman, and Graham to a nearby motel. Ghumman (who has two previous bank robbery convictions) and Zamir got away. Graham – who was on parole from a prior conviction and wearing an ankle monitoring bracelet at the time of the hold-up – was not as successful in pulling off his own getaway. The police recovered more than $74,000 in cash, as well as the clothing and BB guns that were used in the robbery. Graham was sentenced in April to seven years in prison for his role in the bank job. The two suspects who remain at large were born in Pakistan and are now U.S. citizens. The FBI believes they may have ties to several areas of the country. Their images have been plastered on billboards in Buffalo and around the country, and the agency is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for each man, or a combined total of $30,000 for both. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 716-856-7800.

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

Security topics were limited to the private forums in April, with no new discussions posted in the public Security forum. If you have a non-sensitive question or topic to share, you can post it for discussion here. You'll find active discussions on sensitive security topics in our "Private Security Forum," where bankers discuss issues out of public view. There's also a private forum that invites participation by bankers, regulators and members of law enforcement.

The private forums are the place for security officers to discuss topics like 314a searches, fraud management software, ATM skimming, and more. If you're a registered user of BOL's Discussion Forums, but don't see the Private - Financial Institution Personnel Only forums near the top of the Forums list, use your bank email address to send an access request to brenda@bankersonline.com. Once your request is approved, you can access the Private Security forum here.

CrimeDex

Crime alerts can cut your losses
Knowing the types of frauds, scams and other nefarious acts that are being conducted in your region can mean the difference between avoiding a scam and being its victim. Here are some gleanings from the hundreds of BOL CrimeDex alerts that crossed our desk in the last month:

• A bank in Morgantown, WV was targeted in an "Operation Homeless" counterfeit business check scam. One of the bank's business customers mailed a check to a vendor. The check was apparently stolen from the mail and used to print up counterfeit checks cashed by three homeless recruits in Uniontown, PA.
• Plantation, FL police posted photos of a suspect who used a stolen Visa debit card to make six $600 fraudulent withdrawals at several B of A ATMs.
• New York City police sent an alert looking for help identifying a suspect who deposited several forged checks into a victim's account, then withdrew the funds before the deposited checks were returned.
• A patron at an Indianapolis-area Cracker Barrel restaurant probably had a hard time paying the check after two thieves stole her wallet and used her credit card to buy five $400 Target gift cards and purchase an item at Best Buy, after which they used the victim's ID to clean out what remained in her bank account.
• Wyomissing, PA police sought help in identifying a suspect with a prosthetic right hand who is allegedly involved in a $7300 counterfeit check scam.
• Our bottom-feeder-of-the-month award goes to the subject of an alert from the Arizona Attorney General's office. The AG was looking for accounts in the name of a suspected elder abuser who allegedly took $5,000 from his own father (who suffers from dementia) after being added to his dad's checking account.

Whether its robbery or chicanery, crooks and thieves continue to find ways to separate money from its rightful owners. BOL CrimeDex subscribers get regular emailed alerts about thefts, deception, scams, fraud, counterfeits and a host of other ways to steal, that can be used to help prevent your bank or customers from being victimized, or to help you uncover clues in cases you are pursuing. If you have access to our private forums, 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. April was a taxing month (pun intended), but as we file it away, we highlight some great security news from the month. Visit our Facebook page to catch up on the latest posts:

• We kicked off the month on April 3 with a Security Officer's ideal employee, whose quick thinking and a 9-1-1 call resulted in the apprehension of a bank robber.
• Also of interest was the April 7 story of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation where an executive who wanted to build up trust with customers went on Facebook live strapped to a lie detector.
• Not all bank robberies become high-pressure situations; some actually go unnoticed by anyone other than the robber and a teller. Unfortunately, when two armed men enter the bank, demand money, and that bank employees open the safe within 30 seconds or they start shooting, the pressure is on. Read about a volatile robbery we shared on April 11, how much was taken, and how much time one of the robbers will spend in prison.
• Identity theft remains a growing threat for consumers. In our second April 11 post, we shared how a bank in Cleveland received some publicity for educating the public on how to prevent ID theft – a win-win for consumers and the bank!
• A third post on April 11 highlights caller ID spoofing and what information customers should (and shouldn't) give out when the bank calls them about a problem.
• Bank robberies generally occur during the day. When they happen at 0-dark-thirty, it's considered burglary. In another April 11 post, we shared an incident that serves as a reminder why sound opening procedures are important.
• If you enjoy reading "misfit robber" stories that include dye packs going off on the suspects' hands, poor getaway plans, and drawing attention while changing clothes in a restaurant, you'll want to check out the April 13 post.
• Our second post on April 13 is about a female bank robber whose defense is "ISIS made me do it," but a take away is a reminder to review how you bank handles the sensitive issue of customers wearing burkas. Need additional information on burkas and identification? Check out the BOL article "Verifying Customer Identity Beyond the Veil."
• On April 14, we shared a story about a man and woman, wearing matching outfits, who robbed a bank armed with pepper spray vs. a gun. Hopefully your bank has a first aid kit on hand and someone who knows how to treat these attacks.
• Making national news, a woman robbed 5 banks in 90 minutes and attempted a 6th robbery, dressed in pajama bottoms. Get the details from our April 17 post.
• One of the FBI's most wanted, the Straw Hat bandit who allegedly robbed 11 banks, and who looks more frightening in photos than his moniker implies as shown in our April 21 post, has been apprehended.
• A bank robbery is bad enough; add a suspect who is on a bad high and you have the incident we shared on April 24 that could have been much worse.
• We wrapped up the month on April 26 with a story about "bluesnarfing." If you're not familiar with the term or the crime, you should definitely read up on it in this post.

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, and 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!