Posted on 03/04/2009 10:03:27 PM PST by bruinbirdman
A fake British aristocrat was convicted yesterday of playing a leading role in an audacious attempt to carry out the world’s biggest bank raid.
The gang of international criminals came close to stealing £229 million from a City bank by exploiting the high-tech security measures designed to protect money transfers. But the plot failed when a hacker into the system missed one set of numbers from an electronic form.
Hugh Rodley — who insisted on being addressed as “Lord” despite having bought his manorial title — was the front man for the group, setting up companies and bank accounts to receive and launder the money.
Details of the “bold and sophisticated” attack were untangled by the Serious Organised Crime Agency during a four-year investigation.
Kevin O’Donoghue, the head of security at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, claimed that in 2004 he was forced to let two Belgian computer hackers into the Japanese bank’s City headquarters after threats to his family. Gilles Poelvoorde and Jan Van Osselaer installed spy software on executives’ computers that recorded their log-ins and passwords.
Meanwhile, Rodley, 61, from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, was creating the web of international companies stretching from the Seychelles to Spain. To help him, he used David Nash, 47, a sex-shop owner from Durrington, West Sussex.
After months of preparation, the Belgian hackers returned to Sumitomo’s offices in October 2004. They made 21 transfers of up to £40 million each from the accounts of high-profile customers including Casio, Toshiba and Nomura Asset Management. The money was destined for accounts in Spain, Dubai, Hong Kong, Liechtenstein, Turkey, Israel, Turkey and Singapore.
Rodley then attempted to transfer the stolen money out of the recipient accounts and on to banks in countries including northern Cyprus and the Seychelles, unaware that the Belgians had made
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Are you sure that wasn’t Hugh Rodham?
Wow. I wonder who’s going to get the movie rights.
If he were still around, you obviously would have to cast Leo McKern as “Lord” Rodley.
yitbos
I wonder what happened to the Belgian hackers.
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