BankersOnline Security Spotlight

In this month's Security Spotlight, read about bank robberies in costume, and ask yourself how people dressed like this even get into a bank. Read about an eye-opening study by security researchers at CrimeDex.The Security Blog, Banker's Blog and Geek Blog tell about the statistics of crime, a family mortgage fraud operation, and how to train your staff when they receive emails perpetrated to instill panic in the heart of any parent. Finally, check out a new FBI program for robbery response training.

How do People Dressed Like This Get INTO the Bank??
Six bank robbers on BOL's robbery page are trying out their Halloween costumes early this year! In St. Petersburg, Florida, a female robber has struck for the fourth time. The most recent robbery took place at Wachovia Bank, where the suspect entered the bank covered head to toe including sunglasses and a white covering over her entire head. She approached a teller with her hand in her jacket, implying she had a weapon and demanded money. After receiving an undisclosed amount of money, the suspect approached another teller and again demanded money.

A suspect in Waltham, Massachusetts, walked into Watertown Savings Bank wearing a yellow rain jacket with a hood, a white bicycle helmet, sunglasses, black gloves and a white bandage covering his nose. He never showed a weapon, he just passed a note to a teller demanding money and fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. This bandit is also wanted in connection with the July robbery of the Rockland Trust Bank in Weymouth.

A Wells Fargo office in Austin, Texas, was robbed for the second time this year. In this incident the suspect was wearing a brown hat, sunglasses and a fake beard. In addition, Virginia has two posted robbery suspects, one in McLean who was wearing a mask and one who robbed a Chevy Chase bank in Lorton with what appeared to be a white T-shirt covering his face. Wachovia Bank in Marietta, Georgia, was robbed by a suspect wearing sunglasses, a dust mask and a black helmet.

Check our Bank Robbery page for photos and information on all the latest robbery suspects.


Counterfeit checks are hot this month with seventeen new alerts posted on BOL's Alerts & Counterfeits page. Ten different banks contacted the FDIC to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation. Three banks reported counterfeit cashier's checks associated with mystery shopping scams including The Edgartown National Bank with two alerts posted this month. In one of the two alerts, items presented have been in the amount of $4,998, may include a remitter name of S.I. Inc. and a phone number that is not associated with the institution. In addition, Dairy State Bank, Provident Community Bank, and IndyMac Federal Bank all reported counterfeit official checks.

Go toBOL's Alerts & Counterfeits to read about other alerts.
As a security professional, you are probably interested in crime statistics. What are the common robbery types, where do banks fit in and how much money is taken on average? Answers to these and more questions are waiting for you in the FBI's annual crime report.

You can also read why a bank robber in Texas was sentenced to 300 years for his crimes. These stories, and the FBI's Annual Report - Crime in the United States arelinked in the Security Blog.

If you work on mortgage fraud, here is a post-mortem that can make you wonder where the controls were. There were 43 mortgages in about 18 months with many flipped and all for a profit in a down market. Some were sold to family members, with family members handling the transactions, and flipped properties serving as the inflated comparables. While the problems are still being worked out, we know there are $2.7 million problems already. This story is in the Banker Blog.