Free Republic

It was just another night in the living room of a suburban Boston home in 2021. Thirty-five-year-old Ashley Randele, along with her parents Tom and Kathy, was watching an episode of “NCIS.” Tom laid on the couch, which had become his domain following a recent lung cancer diagnosis. Doctors had told the 71-year-old he was probably six weeks away from death. “When I moved here, I had to change my name,” he said mid-show, as casually as if asking his daughter to pass the remote control. “And the authorities are probably still looking for me.” Stunned, his family absorbed the...

The FBI just warned banks that their customers’ accounts could be targeted by a worldwide ATM hacking scheme. The attack, known as an “ATM cash-out” or “unlimited operation,” is expected in the coming days, and will likely take place on a weekend or after banks have closed, according to information obtained by the FBI. Hackers will steal data by gaining access to bank systems or payment card processors. They’ll then alter bank data relating to fraud controls, maximum withdrawal limits, and even the amount of money in each account. Then, using the stolen information, they could withdraw large sums of...

Bank robberies aren’t as exciting as they used to be when they were the stuff of Ocean’s Eleven style, or the coarser Bonnie and Clyde. No more black balaclavas or dead president masks. No more guns, no more physical threats. This is the age of the cyber thief, and Mexico’s recent $110-million bank heist didn’t even require a criminal to touch the money at all. With a push of a button it was gone--almost. Gone, too, is the excitement of getting caught up in a bank robbery as dramatized on television. But the lack of physical excitement also means that...

North Korea Linked to Digital Attacks on Global Banks By NICOLE PERLROTH and MICHAEL CORKERY MAY 26, 2016 Security researchers have tied the recent spate of digital breaches on Asian banks to North Korea, in what they say appears to be the first known case of a nation using digital attacks for financial gain. In three recent attacks on banks, researchers working for the digital security firm Symantec said, the thieves deployed a rare piece of code that had been seen in only two previous cases: the hacking attack at Sony Pictures in December 2014 and attacks on banks and...

When hackers steal money from banks, they usually go for Bonnie and Clyde attacks, taking whatever they can take in a single grab, one Kaspersky executive told The New York Times, as the security research discovered a different type of bank cyber heist, one likened to Ocean’s Eleven in terms of planning, but also when it comes to the significant amount of stolen cash. Following a well planned operation, that involved months of spying through the use of sophisticated software, unknown hackers originating from Russia, China and Europe managed to steal at least $300 million from a large number of...

In a report to be published on Monday, and provided in advance to The New York Times, Kaspersky Lab says that the scope of this attack on more than 100 banks and other financial institutions in 30 nations could make it one of the largest bank thefts ever — and one conducted without the usual signs of robbery. The Moscow-based firm says that because of nondisclosure agreements with the banks that were hit, it cannot name them. Officials at the White House and the F.B.I. have been briefed on the findings, but say that it will take time to confirm...

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (Isis) has become the richest terror group ever after looting 500 billion Iraqi dinars - the equivalent of $429m (£256m) - from Mosul's central bank, according to the regional governor. Nineveh governor Atheel al-Nujaifi confirmed Kurdish televison reports that Isis militants had stolen millions from numerous banks across Mosul. A large quantity of gold bullion is also believed to have been stolen. Following the siege of the country's second city, the bounty collected by the group has left it richer than al-Qaeda itself and as wealthy as small nations such as Tonga, Kiribati,...

Male Suspect Wearing Muslim Garb Robs Philadelphia Bank PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Philadelphia police are searching for a male suspect who robbed a bank while fully clothed in Muslim garb. The robbery happened at about 11 a.m. on April 13th at the Wells Fargo Bank branch located in the 700 block of Adams Avenue. According to investigators, the suspect, wearing Muslim garb, entered the bank and presented a threatening demand note to a teller. After getting an undisclosed amount of cash, the suspect ran out of the bank and fled north on Tabor Road. The suspect is described as a black...

Many of the shareholders with stock in Washington Mutual lost everything when the FDIC closed down the bank and quickly sold it to JP Morgan Chase & Co for a small fraction of the bank’s worth. Delaware bankruptcy court is preparing a settlement that pay off WaMu creditors, though since shareholders are last on the list they will only receive a small fraction of their original investment. In an effort to recoup losses, many Washington Mutual shareholders are claiming that problems with the bank’s sale and subsequent bankruptcy proceedings amount to fraud. These shareholders claim that the bank was shut...

On the surface there would seem to be little to unite the Aryan racialists of the neo-Nazi movement with the terrorists of radical Islam. To the neo-Nazis, Muslims are almost all members of ``inferior`` races; and to the Islamic terrorists, the neo-Nazis are almost without exception either atheists or members of fringe quasi-Christian sects. But the reality is that there has been close cooperation between Muslim extremists and Fascists ever since the founding of the Nazi movement in the 1920`s. For all of their differences, Muslim extremists and Nazis have always been united by a common group of beliefs and...