Tuesday, October 16, 2012


Daily Report

Top Stories

 • The FBI reported a heist of newly designed $100 bills not going into circulation until 2013. They were stolen from a plane that arrived at Philadelphia International Airport October 11. – Associated Press

10. October 12, Associated Press – (Pennsylvania) FBI: ‘Large amount’ of newly designed $100 bills stolen at Philadelphia International Airport. The FBI reported an unusual heist of some newly designed $100 bills that are not going into circulation until 2013. A FBI agent said the cash was stolen from a plane that arrived at Philadelphia International Airport October 11. Investigators said the bills are easy to spot. The new bills have sophisticated elements to thwart counterfeiters, like a disappearing Liberty Bell in an orange inkwell and a bright blue security ribbon. The FBI said a “large amount” of bills were stolen, but agents did not give specifics. The theft was reported by a courier service transporting the bills when the shipment arrived at the Federal Reserve Building in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Officials then discovered some of the money was missing. Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/12/fbi-one-hundred-dollar-bills_n_1962702.html

 • Sunland Inc.’s massive peanut butter recall extended further after the company added whole peanuts to its recall list the weekend of October 13. – Food Safety News

17. October 15, Food Safety News – (National) More foods containing Sunland peanut products recalled. Sunland Inc.’s massive peanut butter recall extended even further after the company added whole peanuts to its recall list the weekend of October 13. The extension included products made with both whole peanuts and peanut butter from Sunland. AdvancePierre Foods of Cincinnati recalled various frozen products including Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, Peanut Butter and Jelly Graham Cracker Sandwiches, and Peanut Butter Cup products produced at its Easley, South Carolina factory between July 17, 2011, and May 18, 2012. Justin’s of Boulder, Colorado, expanded its recalled items to include the Natural Honey Peanut Butter Squeeze Packs. The product was sold nationally at supermarkets, the Internet, and in the Starbucks’ Protein Bistro Box from March 23, 2010, through September 26, 2012. PureFit of Irvine, California, recalled its Peanut Butter Crunch nutrition bars manufactured between March 1 and July 12, 2012, and distributed nationally through health food stores, grocery stores, and online retailers between March and August, 2012. Creative Energy Foods, Inc. of Oakland, California, recalled its Ridge Bar and Crunch thinkThin brand nutrition bars. The Ridge Bars were sold only on the Internet, and The Crunch thinkThin bars were distributed to retail chains nationwide between March 2010 and October 12, 2012. JagRma LLC of San Diego recalled its NuttZo seven nut and seed butter with best by dates between October 7, 2012, and December 31, 2012. The product was sold nationwide at grocery stores via mail order. Lin-Mar Partners, Inc. of Austin, Texas, recalled its Roasted Peanut with Chocolate Energy Bars and Peanut Butter Trail Mix Protein Bars. The bars were distributed in Texas through Randall’s, Tom Thumb, HEB, University of Texas Coop, and Academy retail stores. The Roasted Peanut Energy Bar bears a best by date of November 10, 2012. The Peanut Butter Trail Mix Protein Bar has a best by date of November 11, 2012. Source: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/10/more-foods-containing-sunland-peanut-products-recalled/

 • The number of documented U.S. cases of fungal meningitis rose October 14, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting 205 infections and 15 deaths. – CNN

31. October 15, CNN – (National) Meningitis cases climb to 205, deaths to 15. The number of documented U.S. cases of fungal meningitis rose with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting 205 infections October 14. The latest tally is seven more than the agency reported October 13. The death toll includes the newest fatality, in Indiana; 15 people have died in the outbreak. Meningitis had been reported in 13 States thus far, with Tennessee the hardest hit with 53 documented infections and 6 deaths. One of the cases is a “peripheral joint infection” that specifically affects a joint such as a knee, hip, shoulder, or elbow. Members of Congress expanded an investigation into the outbreak. In a letter to the director of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy, leaders of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce noted the Food and Drug Administration sent the New England Compounding Center a warning letter in 2006 “detailing significant violations witnessed” by investigators the previous year. Source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/15/health/meningitis-outbreak-duplicate-2/index.html

 • A man armed with an assault rifle and wearing body armor was wounded in a shootout with police in a downtown San Diego apartment building’s lobby October 14. He was arrested as he tried to walk out of the building. – KFMB 8 San Diego

53. October 14, KFMB 8 San Diego – (California) Man armed with rifle shot by police downtown. A man with an assault rifle and wearing body armor was wounded in a shootout with police in a downtown San Diego apartment building’s lobby October 14, and was arrested as he tried to walk out of the building, police said. Officers were called to a six-story residential unit above commercial space. A caller told a 9-1-1 dispatcher that a man wearing a tactical vest and carrying a military-style assault-type weapon was in a first-floor corridor. Police said arriving officers entered the lobby of the building and, as one opened a stairwell door leading to the garage, spotted a man with a gun. An officer fired two rounds after the man began raiding his weapon, and the man retreated to a stairwell. Some 50 minutes after the shooting, the suspect emerged from the stairwell through a side exit. At that point, he was unarmed and bleeding from his chest and arm. He was arrested and taken by paramedics to a local hospital for treatment. A loaded military-style assault rifle, a gas mask, a handgun, and a body armor vest were located in the stairwell, police said. Source: http://www.cbs8.com/story/19816142/camouflaged-man-arrested-after-sd-shootout

Details

Banking and Finance Sector

6. October 14, Associated Press – (National) New scam pilfers social security checks at banks. A new scam is diverting Social Security checks from seniors by re-routing the
checks using direct deposit systems at banks, the Associated Press reported October 14. Scammers typically gain the name and bank account number of victims through phony lottery and sweepstakes schemes. Then the scammers call the Social Security Administration (SSA) posing as the victims and re-route the checks to an account the scam artists can tap. The SSA has found more than 19,000 unauthorized attempts to change direct deposit accounts and receives another 50 each day. Source: http://www.myfoxny.com/story/19814917/new-scam-pilfers-social-security-checks-at-banks

7. October 14, United Press International – (Washington) Man accused of being bicycle bandit. A man was arrested in Bothell, Washington, on suspicion of being the “Tour de Banks Robber,” a bandit known for making his getaways on a bicycle, United Press International reported October 14. The man is a suspect in eight bank robberies that took place in King and Snohomish counties between January and September, the Seattle Times reported. An affidavit of probable cause for the arrest states there was a correlation between the robberies, the man’s cash deposits, and his gambling losses. Cellphone records also indicated that the man was in the general area of each of the banks when the robberies occurred, according to the affidavit. The Tour de Banks Robber arrived at and departed from most of his targeted financial institutions on a bicycle and was armed with either a handgun or a knife in each robbery. Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/10/14/Man-accused-of-being-bicycle-bandit/UPI-71361350254548/

8. October 13, Associated Press – (Nevada) Homebuilder convicted in $8M mortgage fraud scheme. A Las Vegas-area homebuilder was convicted on federal charges in an $8 million mortgage fraud scheme, the Associated Press reported October 13. Federal prosecutors said that the man was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, six counts of bank fraud, and three counts of wire fraud. He was accused of selling houses at inflated prices in an effort to fraudulently obtain mortgage loans and defraud banks and lenders for $8 million. Source: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Homebuilder-convicted-in-8M-mortgage-fraud-scheme-3946945.php

9. October 12, Madison Patch – (New Jersey) Dapper Bandit arrested for multiple bank robberies, prosecutor says. A man was arrested for a series of four bank robberies and one attempted robbery that took place at Morris County, New Jersey banks over the span of a little more than one month, the Madison Patch reported October 12. The man robbed banks in Parsippany, Lincoln Park, Mount Olive, and attempted to rob a Kinnelon bank, according to the Morris County prosecutor. The prosecutor said the man is also a suspect in additional bank robberies that are separate from the ones he is currently charged with. He is charged with four counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery. The man was known for being well-dressed during robberies. Source: http://madison.patch.com/articles/dapper-bandit-arrested-for-multiple-bank-robberies-prosecutor-says

10. October 12, Associated Press – (Pennsylvania) FBI: ‘Large amount’ of newly designed $100 bills stolen at Philadelphia International Airport. The FBI reported an unusual heist of some newly designed $100 bills that are not going into circulation until 2013. A FBI agent said the cash was stolen from a plane that arrived at Philadelphia International Airport October 11. Investigators said the bills are easy to spot. The new bills have sophisticated elements to thwart counterfeiters, like a disappearing Liberty Bell in an orange inkwell and a bright blue security ribbon. The FBI said a “large amount” of bills were stolen, but agents did not give specifics. The theft was reported by a courier service transporting the bills when the shipment arrived at the Federal Reserve Building in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Officials then discovered some of the money was missing. Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/12/fbi-one-hundred-dollar-bills_n_1962702.html

11. October 12, WAVY 10 Portsmouth – (Virginia) Former CEO charged with fraud. A man who was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a Newport News, Virginia investment firm was indicted by a federal jury on fraud charges, WAVY 10 Portsmouth reported October 12. The CEO of MICG Investment, LLC is accused of 26 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, unlawful monetary transactions, and bankruptcy fraud. The man allegedly launched three hedge funds under MICG in 2007 and sought investments. At the end of each year, instead of seeking an independent evaluation of the company whose shares he purchased, he would inflate the value of the company to increase the value of the hedge fund. He then allegedly used the inflated value to lure potential investors into investing in the company, Venture Strategies. Venture Strategies, a solar company, declared bankruptcy. The man filed for bankruptcy in February 2011 and had allegedly made a series of false statements about gambling trips to Las Vegas. Source: http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/crime/former-ceo-charged-with-fraud

Information Technology Sector

46. October 13, Examiner – (International) New malware attacks Android smartphones. October 12, the FBI issued an alert through the Internet Crime Complain Center (IC3) to smartphone users about malware that attacks phones running on the Android operating system. This latest threat to Android phone users, according to the FBI, is a “work-at-home opportunity that promises a profitable payday just for sending out email.” The FBI added that the latest versions of the malware affecting smartphone security are Finfisher and Loozfon. The notification said, “A link within these advertisements leads to a website that is designed to push Loozfon on the user’s device. The malicious application steals contact details from the user’s address book and the infected device’s phone number.” Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/new-malware-attacks-android-smartphones

47. October 12, Threatpost – (International) Mozilla adds click-to-play plugin security feature to Firefox beta. Attackers have been targeting vulnerabilities in browser plugins and extensions for years, as they know that users are slow about updating these components. Even if users have the browser set to update automatically, the third-party components are a separate issue and need to be patched on their own. In response to these vulnerabilities, Mozilla added a new feature to Firefox that will, by default, block known vulnerable versions of plugins from running. The new feature is currently in the beta version of Firefox and it works in conjunction with a blacklist of vulnerable versions of popular plugins. Source: http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/mozilla-adds-click-play-plugin-security-feature-firefox-beta-101212

48. October 12, Softpedia – (International) Fake ADP benefit services emails lead to malware-serving Websites. Malicious ADP spam runs have been around for a while. Besides the classic “ADP Dealers Services Invoice,” “ADP Digital Certificate Expiration,” and “ADP Funding Notification,” a new type of email was seen hitting the inboxes of unsuspecting Internet users. These emails were analyzed by experts from two different security firms: MX Lab and GFI Software. It was determined that the URL’s contained in the bogus messages lead to a fake Adobe Web site that serves malicious elements by leveraging the Blackhole exploit kit. Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-ADP-Benefit-Services-Emails-Lead-to-Malware-Serving-Websites-298973.shtml

49. October 12, Infosecurity – (International) Malicious emails: Republican U.S. Presidential nominee almost President. A new malicious email campaign pretends to be from CNN. It announces breaking news — the Republican U.S. Presidential nominee is “almost president.” However, it leads to a Blackhole exploit site. Cybercriminals are quick to spot an opportunity, especially when they are calendar based. One of these opportunities is currently timely: the U.S. Presidential election. Sophos warned of a new malicious email campaign purporting to be CNN breaking news: “[Republican Presidential nominee] Almost President.” The format of the emails, using multiple CNN headlines, is interesting. Readers who are not following the election may well be interested in one of the other “articles.” “Even if you decide news about the presidential election isn’t your cup of tea, all of the other tantalizing stories promoted in this email link to the same content, but not content on CNN.com.” In this email, all paths lead to a Blackhole exploit site. Source: http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/view/28753/malicious-emails-romney-almost-president/

Communications Sector

50. October 12, AnnArbor.com – (Michigan) Verizon Wireless service disrupted in Ann Arbor area for more than three hours. An unknown problem caused Verizon Wireless customers in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to be out of service for more than 3 hours October 12. A Verizon spokeswoman said two sites being out of service in the area caused the problems. Users were unable to send text messages or place phone calls, but some reported an ability to receive text messages at some points during the outage. It is unclear how many users were unable to use their phones during the outage. After being alerted of the problem, crews replaced the radios in the two sites and service was restored, a Verizon spokeswoman said no further disruptions are expected. Source: http://www.annarbor.com/news/verison-wireless-service-disruped-in-ann-arbor-area-for-over-three-hours-due-to-two-down-radios/

51. October 12, Atlanta Journal-Constitution – (Georgia) Copper thieves cut phone, Internet service to Atlanta neighborhood. Residents of a northwest Atlanta neighborhood hope to have phone and Internet service fully restored October 12 or October 13, a week after copper thieves knocked out service to the area. At least one resident saw a truck October 5 and assumed it was a utility company working on the lines. But it turned out the men were actually copper thieves, who broke into two trunk lines, knocking out phone and Internet service to as many as 3,000 customers. One resident said AT&T responded October 5, and that crews have been working daily to fix the problem. But he said October 12, that residents are frustrated that AT&T has not fixed all the lines a week after the theft occurred. An AT&T spokesman said the initial outage was corrected within a couple of days, but that thieves struck again October 9. Atlanta police said the investigation of the case is continuing. Source: http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/copper-thieves-cut-phone-internet-service-to-atlan/nSbsY/

For another story, see item 46 above in the Banking and Finance Sector



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