thieves are turning to cyber crime to cash in for safety and convenience purposes
"Clearly, as more transactions become electronic, more bank crimes become electronic," says Doug Johnson, the vice president of American Bankers Association. It's only fitting that crooks use the same medium as their victims to carry out their crime, but that isn't the only reason people are going the cyber route. As advancements in ways to commit crime are made, ways to prevent and solve them are too. According to Martin Bagot, there are protective screens that rise in under a second that protect tellers, customers, and the money during a robbery. A special "DNA spray" (seen above) has also been developed. This spray clings to the offender and a UV light is used to prove that they were at the scene of the crime. Thieves must also brave against improved CCTV. Online crime is, obviously, a lot safer and less violent. You don't have to actually go to a bank and wave around a gun, you can just sit in the comfort of your home. Plus, you can get a longer jail sentence for wielding a weapon during a robbery, and weapons aren't needed to rob a bank online. As a result of this, the amount of traditional Bonnie and Clyde style holdups have dropped by a whopping 90% in Britain and are the lowest they've been in decades in America (Bagot).
How are cyber crooks collecting their loot, then? One way is to install a keyboard video mouse switch. These devices are used to control many computers from one spot. If you connect one to a cell phone network using a 3G router, you can use it to transfer money into your account. It's also possible to hack into ATMs to access PINs and other account details. The information can then be sold online or used to create a clone card (seen on right) of someone's bank account. The clone cards are used at ATMs to withdraw money from the victim's account. Thieves are also getting crafty by posing as their victim's bank. They send a poor, unfortunate soul an e-mail from the "bank". Then, the person hands over their account information to the crook by typing their username and password into what is supposed to be their bank's log in screen (Aron). This practice is called "phishing".
After hearing all of this, you may be wondering how safe your stash of cash is. Well, my friend, cyber crime is on the rise. According to Roger A. Grimes of InfoWorld, the FBI released a report in 2011 that included that there were 300,000 victims of online financial theft. The total amount of dough stolen adds up to about $1.1 billion. Only about $3,666 is stolen per victim though, so you can chill a little. If you are ever stolen from and you are filled with rage and wish to see the dirty criminal behind bars, however, my next statement will not appease you. Tracking down and incarcerating cyber crime is super hard. This is partially because it's easier to cover your tracks online, and because you can just wire the money to an offshore bank account in the Cayman Islands or something. In one of these accounts the money will be hidden from government officials because the bank doesn't have to give them any information.
If you want to take extra measures to protect your precious Benjamins, you should have the latest update for whatever antivirus software you have. If you don't have antivirus software, get it! Check how much money is in your account daily to make sure everything is alright or to notice anything suspicious as soon as possible. You can also use the "bank by phone" option, which makes it harder to hack your account. You should change your account password several times a year too. It should be something long and complicated (How to Prevent...).
I chose this topic because I couldn't think of anything and I saw a TED talk about how to rob a bank from the inside. I'm glad I chose this topic, though, because it wasn't painful to do this project at all. I thought the fact that it's easier to get away with cyber crime, and how many people actually do was interesting. I always figured that most people were caught when it's quite the opposite. I may or may not have convinced myself to rob a bank while doing this project.
This project can relate to chapter 1 in AP Human Geography in regard to space-time compression. It ties into this because space-time compression describes what seems to be the decrease in space between things. This is usually caused by technology like cars or computers. An example would be using software to rob a bank instead of actually going there and lugging the money around to other places. It can also tie into chapter 12 because bank robbers may put the stolen money into an offshore bank account. Also because PINs and stuff are sold online, which I think counts as a service.
This project can relate to chapter 1 in AP Human Geography in regard to space-time compression. It ties into this because space-time compression describes what seems to be the decrease in space between things. This is usually caused by technology like cars or computers. An example would be using software to rob a bank instead of actually going there and lugging the money around to other places. It can also tie into chapter 12 because bank robbers may put the stolen money into an offshore bank account. Also because PINs and stuff are sold online, which I think counts as a service.
Citations
Aron, Jacob. "Five Ways to Rob a Bank Using the Internet." NewScientist. Reed Business Information Ltd., 03 Oct. 2013. Web. 23 May 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2Fdn24324-five-ways-to-rob-a-bank-using-the-internet.html%23.U4Z9rfldVIF>.
Bagot, Martin. "Bank Robberies Fall 90% in Two Decades as Better Security Pushes Criminals to Cyber-fraud." Mirror. N.p., 27 Dec. 2013. Web. 26 May 2014.
<http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bank-robberies-fall-90--2964824>.
"‘Coffee Shop Gang’ Cloned Vancouver Debit/credit Cards, Stole $209,210."The Vancouver Sun. Postmedia Network Inc., 28 Feb. 2013. Web. 29 May 2014. <http://www.vancouversun.com/Coffee%2Bshop%2Bgang%2Bcloned%2BVancouver%2Bdebit%2Bcredit%2Bcards%2Bstole/8026040/story.html>.
Darling, Nathan. "How to Prevent Hackers and Online Banking Attacks." How to Prevent Hackers and Online Banking Attacks. Webroot Inc., n.d. Web. 27 May 2014. <http://www.webroot.com/us/en/business/resources/articles/corporate-security/how-to-prevent-hackers-and-online-banking-attacks>.
Grimes, Robert A. "Why Internet Crime Goes Unpunished." InfoWorld. Infoworld, Inc., 12 Jan. 2012. Web. 27 May 2014.
<http://www.infoworld.com/d/security/why-internet-crime-goes-unpunished-183605>.
"Press Center: Infographics." Kaspersky Lab. Kaspersky Lab ZAO, n.d. Web. 30 May 2014.
<http://www.kaspersky.com/about/press/infographics>.
Newitz, Annalee. "Security Company Claims to Catch Criminals by Spraying Them with Human DNA." Io9. N.p., 19 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 May 2014.
<http://io9.com/5668021/security-company-claims-to-catch-criminals-by-spraying-them-with-human-dna>.
Tuttle, Brad. "Bank Robbers Going the Way of Blacksmiths?" TIME. Time Inc., 06 Feb. 2013. Web. 28 May 2014.
<http://business.time.com/2013/02/06/bank-robbers-going-the-way-of-blacksmiths/>.
Aron, Jacob. "Five Ways to Rob a Bank Using the Internet." NewScientist. Reed Business Information Ltd., 03 Oct. 2013. Web. 23 May 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2Fdn24324-five-ways-to-rob-a-bank-using-the-internet.html%23.U4Z9rfldVIF>.
Bagot, Martin. "Bank Robberies Fall 90% in Two Decades as Better Security Pushes Criminals to Cyber-fraud." Mirror. N.p., 27 Dec. 2013. Web. 26 May 2014.
<http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bank-robberies-fall-90--2964824>.
"‘Coffee Shop Gang’ Cloned Vancouver Debit/credit Cards, Stole $209,210."The Vancouver Sun. Postmedia Network Inc., 28 Feb. 2013. Web. 29 May 2014. <http://www.vancouversun.com/Coffee%2Bshop%2Bgang%2Bcloned%2BVancouver%2Bdebit%2Bcredit%2Bcards%2Bstole/8026040/story.html>.
Darling, Nathan. "How to Prevent Hackers and Online Banking Attacks." How to Prevent Hackers and Online Banking Attacks. Webroot Inc., n.d. Web. 27 May 2014. <http://www.webroot.com/us/en/business/resources/articles/corporate-security/how-to-prevent-hackers-and-online-banking-attacks>.
Grimes, Robert A. "Why Internet Crime Goes Unpunished." InfoWorld. Infoworld, Inc., 12 Jan. 2012. Web. 27 May 2014.
<http://www.infoworld.com/d/security/why-internet-crime-goes-unpunished-183605>.
"Press Center: Infographics." Kaspersky Lab. Kaspersky Lab ZAO, n.d. Web. 30 May 2014.
<http://www.kaspersky.com/about/press/infographics>.
Newitz, Annalee. "Security Company Claims to Catch Criminals by Spraying Them with Human DNA." Io9. N.p., 19 Oct. 2010. Web. 28 May 2014.
<http://io9.com/5668021/security-company-claims-to-catch-criminals-by-spraying-them-with-human-dna>.
Tuttle, Brad. "Bank Robbers Going the Way of Blacksmiths?" TIME. Time Inc., 06 Feb. 2013. Web. 28 May 2014.
<http://business.time.com/2013/02/06/bank-robbers-going-the-way-of-blacksmiths/>.