Could there be anything more exiting than a good bank heist movie? Well, yes. It's the FBI statistics about bank robberies. Around the middle of each year the FBI issues its annual report of the bank robberies for the previous year. And the 2011 stats are now available. (We looked at the 2010 stats here.)
Once again, a Friday robbery at a branch bank in a commercial center was the most popular day and place. The time of day was spread fairly evenly between 9:00am and 6:00pm with the slot between 9:00 - 11:00 getting a slight edge.
As for the take, here's a little table comparing the last three years:
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| total robberies |
5,943 | 5,546 | 5,014 |
| loot taken | $45,978,048.97 | $43,016,099.07 | $38,343,501.96 |
| loot recovered | $8,015,546.46 | $8,193,065.41 | $8,070,886.97 |
| recovery percent | 17.4% | 19.0% | 21.0% |
Robberies include commercial banks, mutual savings banks, S&Ls, credit unions and armored cars. (Armored cars not reported in 2009.) Loot includes cash, face value of securities, checks, food stamps and other property.
These days an old fashioned bank robbery with a typical small take and about one in five chances of losing the money is a losing proposition. A few months ago someone robbed a local Bank Of America branch and was on the loose for only a few hours before being nabbed by police. The surveillance cameras banks use these days have undergone a significant upgrade from a few years ago when the best they could produce were grainy images of shadowy characters. In the BOA case an image from the surveillance video led directly to the perp's identification. (See Short spree for this bank robber.)
If/when those new gigapixel cameras become common place outside banks they could track the robber all the way to his hideout.
The bank robbers who are after the big bucks these days are online using malware. Here's the FBI warning about one called Gameover:
Typically, you receive an unsolicited e-mail from NACHA, the Federal Reserve, or the FDIC telling you that there’s a problem with your bank account or a recent ACH transaction. (ACH stands for Automated Clearing House, a network for a wide variety of financial transactions in the U.S.) The sender has included a link in the e-mail for you that will supposedly help you resolve whatever the issue is. Unfortunately, the link goes to a phony website, and once you’re there, you inadvertently download the Gameover malware, which promptly infects your computer and steals your banking information.
An armed robber taking cash over a bank counter is one thing. But the game changes when the money comes out of an individual's account due to malware. Whose loss it is? The bank is certain to contend it's the customer's fault, and a court will get to decide. In at least one case, noted at NakedSecurity, a federal appeals court found for the customer due to shoddy security at the bank.
In any event, bank customers need to try to avoid letting it happen in the first place. Watch out for those suspicious emails with those oh so tempting links.
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