ATM Robbery - Slice Through A Bank ATM Like Butter
It is Safe to Say That No Safe-Cracking Method is Safe
To rob a bank, you can use several methods, including armed robbery, ATM (Automated Teller Machine)
card fraud or safe cracking. The most easily defended against is safe
cracking, since years ago banks learned how to make their safes
virtually impenetrable. Although there have been isolated instances of
entire bank cash machines being wrenched off their moorings and
fork-lifted into waiting trucks, adequate crash bars and other
impediments make that a rare occurrence. In India, thieves spent time with a cutting torch, eventually separating an entire ATM machine from its base. If the machine was visible to the public, as most are, how could such a chore go unnoticed?
Other than the relatively insecure bank teller
lines, with the limited cash that they carry, the easiest way to rob a
bank of some “serious cash” is ATM robbery, or breaking into the back of
an ATM machine. Unlike vaults, which have many inches of steel and
concrete armor, most ATMs rely on relatively thin steel plate to secure
many thousands of dollars that are preloaded into handy cassettes.
Enter the dragon. In this case, the dragon is the
compact, portable and self-contained MAG9000 oxygen-fueled cutting torch
manufactured by Magnum Manufacturing. According to their website, Magnum Manufacturing’s “central headquarters are located in Southern California”.
Magnum touts their system with only three words:
“Speed, Power and Versatility. Consider piercing four inches of steel
in four seconds. Consider removing one linear foot of weldment in eight
seconds. Consider the ability to burn through any material, even cast
iron, stainless steel, copper, manganese and more. Incredible
performance and yet; safe and reliable in the most challenging field
conditions. Our new battery ignition system eliminates cables for
ultimate portability and convenience.”
A recent article in Wired Magazine described the MAG9000 as the appropriate tool for “Melting
through doors, walls or concrete bunkers”. Wired went on to say, “Pull
the trigger and pure oxygen flows from the tank into a barrel at the
cutter's business end. Add a spark and soft steel rods inside the
barrel burn in the presence of the 02. Once lit, the torch can slice through metal plate in a few seconds,
In
“the old days”, banks were located in freestanding buildings that often
resembled fortresses. Brick and mortar gave customers a feeling of
security and permanence. In recent years, many banks have opted for
less expensive and less secure strip-center locations. Their inherent
weakness is that these newer branches share common walls and a common
attic space with their neighbors.
Although it rarely hits the news, I have it on good
authority that strip-center bank robbers have recently utilized the late
night breaking and entering technique. Once inside the small ATM
backrooms, the robbers disable the security cameras and defeat the alarm
systems, if possible. Then, with the relative security of their hiding
place, the robbers quickly use a “torch” to cut into the back of the
ATM, unload the cash-cassettes and escape the same way they came in.
Until this rash of “cutting torch robberies”
makes more news, the low risk and potentially high return will make
them ever more prevalent. It is simply too embarrassing for any
particular bank to admit that they were dumb enough to allow such easy
access to their depositors’ money.
Appropriate actions to prevent ATM bank robbery include:
- Armor plating of all ATM rooms that share walls with neighboring businesses.
- The addition of smoke alarms and high-decibel horn alarms to the ATM rooms, thus making a break-in immediately obvious to the bank’s security department and painful to the robber's ears.
- Adding an additional layer of protective armor to the ATM’s, themselves.
- Requiring that the purchaser of any high technology cutting torch (e.g., The MAG9000) register their new torch as they would if they were purchasing explosives or a handgun.
Would the purchase registration of all high technology cutting torches be an abridgement of our freedoms? No, it would only be the abridgement of freedom to those who rob banks and other cash-intensive businesses.
By James McGillis at 07:44 PM | Technology | Comments (0) | Link