ATM Jackpotting Case Profile

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In October of 2018, an ATM vendor sent out a widespread announcement that there had been a series of ATM hackings across the U.S. Days later law enforcement arrested Alex Alberto Fajin-Diaz and Argenys Rodriguez in Wyoming on charges of ATM jackpotting. The arrest occurred while the machine was still dispensing $20 bills. $5,600 was found in their car, along with equipment used for the crime.

What has happened

• What is ATM jackpotting?

ATM jackpotting can be defined as: The illegal act of forcing an ATM into dispensing any and / or all of its contents by gaining physical access to an ATMs components and installing malware onto the computer systems via USB drive or black box device which then commands the ATM to dispense its cash.

• What has ATM jackpotting cost?

It is thought that the cost of ATM jackpotting worldwide is in the tens of millions of dollars.source Although, a single jackpotting incident can cost an institution anywhere from five thousand to two-hundred thousand dollars.

• What can be done to help?

Things that can be done to help prevent this type of crime include upgrading ATM hardware to recognize these types of attacks and stop them before they start, ensuring ATMs are placed in safe locations, and to also ensure that ATMs locking mechanisms are not easily susceptible to breaking which allows access to the inner hardware.

When this happened

• December 2017- January 2018

Molly Reale, Secret service agent, received reports from different law enforcement agencies across the East coast with regards of ATM malware attacks.

• January 26th, 2018

Reale discovered that individuals were planning to activate cash out teams to input Diebold ATMs with malware within the next ten days.

Earlier within the week, some ATMs in Hamden,Connecticut and Guilford, Connecticut were attacked.

• January 27th, 2018

Video surveillance at the Citizen Bank in Cromwell, Connecticut captured two men dressed as ATM technicians accessing the inside of the ATM.

The surveillance tapes were interrupted.

Once the video surveillance came back up, they captured a white 2 door Honda Accord with Massachusetts plates and a dark SUV at the ATM for an extend period of time.

The Cromwell Police Department was called, Officer Brocks and Officer DiMaio responded. The SUV left before Officer Brocks come to the scene.

Officer Brocks found Alex Alberto Fajin-Diaz and Argenys Rodriguez in the white 2 door Honda Accord,with larger sums of 20 dollar bills in their pockets as well as tools and wires in the trunk. Officer DiMaio went to the ATM machine and heard it making strange sound when it was about to dispense money.

Rodriguez allowed a search of his car. The officers found screwdrivers, allen wrenches, and pliers that were used to get into the interior of the ATM, as well as Massachusetts license plates as seen on the white 2-door Honda Accord from the bank video surveillance tapes.

The car was towed to the police station so a search warrant could be obtained. A wireless keyboard with a USB card attached was found, which was used to orchestrate the “Jackpotting” scheme.

Diaz and Rodriguez were taken in to Cromwell Police custody and charged with state and federal charges of bank fraud.

• June 2018

Diaz plead guilty on June 12th.

Rodriguez plead guilty on June 18th.

• November 26th, 2018

Rodriguez was sentenced to a year and one day followed by two years of supervised release.

Diaz is still awaiting sentencing.

Who did this?

Two men were involved in a ATM “jackpotting” scheme, using malware to eject the money that was held in the ATM. Argenys Rodriguez, 22, of Springfield Massachusetts - Plead guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He was sentenced on November 26th, 2018 for 12 months and 1 day, following 2 years of probation after he is released. He had to pay $121,355 in restitution with a $250,000 bond.

Alex Alberto Fajin-Diaz, 32, citizen of Spain - Plead guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, he is still awaiting trial and is currently being detained until he is sentenced

Rodriguez and Fajin-Diaz were dressed as repair technicians and then had others pick up the cash. The two men stole a total of $68,800 from the ATM in Cromwell and 63,820 from an ATM in Rhode Island. Both were arrested January 27th, 2018.

Argenys Rodriguez inmate number is 25721-014 and he’s currently serving out his sentence at the Otisville Federal Correctional Institute in Orange County New York. His current release date is set for September 20th, 2019.

Alex Alberto Fajin-Diaz is inmate number 424356 at the Hartford Correctional Center in Connecticut where he currently remains unsentenced while awaiting his trial.

Where this happened

The incident of ATM jackpotting occured in the cities of Cromwell, Hamden, and Guilford, Connecticut, as well as Providence, Rhode Island. The United States had not experienced ATM malware jackpotting attacks until late 2017, early 2018. Based on Google Maps, these locations are about 3 hours apart by car. Each ATM victimized was part of Citizens Bank, specifically the Diebold Nixdorf models. The Diebold Nixdorf company is known as number one in the ATM market.

Financial institution victimized

Citizens Bank was the financial institution involved in this ATM jackpotting scheme. According to their website, there are 18 ATM’s in Connecticut and 68 ATM’s in Rhode Island. The company was founded in 1828 and had attained $126, 619, 000, 000 in assets in 2009 with 22,700 employees.

The top of the Citizens Bank chain is Bruce Van Saun, chairman and chief executive officer. He joined the company in 2013 and has more than 30 years of financial experience.

How this happened

Diaz and Rodriguez hacked into the ATM by physically installing a malware called Backdoor.Ploutus into the system via an internal USB port. In order to gain access to the inside of the ATM, Diaz and Rodriguez dressed as ATM technicians. Once inside the ATM, they had to find the USB port and connect their phones that way they can send a command to the ATM via SMS messaging. They then sent a command to the ATM to dispense cash.

Implications to society

ATM Jackpotting is a danger to society, especially since it is a growing crime. As the USA becomes more intelligent about the ins and outs of technology, so do criminals. It is becoming a battle of who is more technologically advanced. The responsibilities we have as a society are to stay properly informed of the rising issue, updating security networks, as well as passwords. The responsibilities banks have is to update ATM models and to report any suspicious activities right away, just like the bank employees in this case.

Emerging Trend:ATM Hacking

ATM hacking is connected to the concept of ATM Jackpotting. While ATM jackpotting is the physical attack of the ATM machine (connect to ATM jackpotting wiki), ATM hacking is the most sophisticated attack on ATMs that targets their command and control system remotely.

As banks create more obstacles for ATM jackpotters, ATM hacking will become more prevalent for the criminal world. The severity of ATM hacking is being addressed by governments, including the United States, which is close to passing a bill that declares the hacking of 50 or more ATMs or credit card details to be economic sabotage. Additionally, having possession of any card skimming or account violating technology would be punishable 6-12 years imprisonment. Harsh policies such as these show the prevalence of the issue in the field of criminology and the impact that ATM jackpotting and hacking has on society.

While ATM jackpotting and ATM hacking can both harvest significant amounts of money, the ATM hacking leaves little trace behind. In a case in the UK, a legal battle with a bank was lost in result of ATM hacking. Hackers infiltrated the customers bank account and created withdrawals mimicking the use of PIN and chip technology. Due to a lack of evidence in tracing the ATM hack, the customer was unable to recover his funds.

Scope of ATM Hacking

While ATMs offer a quick and easy way for people to access their money, they are a form of technology that is extremely vulnerable to attacks. ATM hacking devices are constantly being made cheaper and more readily available. ATM hacks can lead ATM operators, banks, and account holders to lose millions of dollars over the course of just a few hours. According to FICO, “The number of hacked card readers at U.S. ATMs, restaurants and merchants rose 30 percent in 2016. This new data follows a 546 percent increase in compromised ATMs from 2014 to 2015.” Victims of ATM hacking may not see their money returned for many years and in some cases not at all.

Why does this happen?

The rationale behind these perpetrators and others like them can primarily be explained through the use of Routine Activities Theory. Routine Activities Theory (RAT) is a criminology theory that revolves around three major elements that must exist together for crime to occur. These being a motivated offender, a vulnerable target or victim, and the absence of a capable guardian.

The two offenders discussed in this case are motivated through the possible benefits of successfully completing the act of “jackpotting” or “hacking.” There is seemingly little risk involved if done “properly” with the chance for very large profits. Benefits coupled with low risk is consistently one of the biggest factors when considering why criminals commit crime.

Target suitability revolves around accessibility and attractiveness of the target. ATMs are both easy to find and access, as well as being able to be used by essentially anyone, making them great potential targets for those with the technical know how to commit the crime.

Lastly, lack of proper guardianship is a constant concern when contemplating ATM safety as having around the clock security to set up each and every at risk ATM is both costly and impractical. As mentioned previously, the perpetrators of this case were able to further circumvent guardianship through disguises. RAT may not give society a binary answer of why people commit these types of crimes, but data is certainly trending toward the fact it certainly plays a large part in the process.

References

This article "ATM Jackpotting Case Profile" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:ATM Jackpotting Case Profile. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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