2016 has been a year of escapades and mischief in our global economy. Around the world, governments, authorities, and even celebrities have lost millions of dollars. Read on to discover some of the most jaw-dropping heists and hacks of the year.
A Bucket Full of Gold and Sunshine
On a street in New York City, an armored truck was left unattended, and as Juan Nivelo was walking by, he took it upon himself to grab a bucket of gold. The Ecuadorian man took 86 pounds of gold worth $1.6 million. He managed to walk away slowly and discretely without the guard noticing. Now the police suspect that the thief has fled to southern California with his bucket of gold.
The Kardashian Jewelry Heist
The reality-TV celebrity, Kim Kardashian, was victim to a frightening robbery in October during her visit to France during Paris Fashion Week. The two robbers, supposedly disguised as policemen, threatened the concierge at gunpoint to reveal the location of her room. The two men then barged into Kim Kardashian’s apartment, tied her up, stole $9 million worth of her jewelry, and managed to escape. This may not be the first jewel heist in Paris, but this one in particular received media attention.
The Japanese ATM Spoof
A group of one hundred thieves were able to steal over $13 million from the Standard Bank of South Africa using spoofed credit cards. They collected the money from ATMs across Japan before the banks were alerted of the heist. Two men were arrested, but the details of the grand scheme have yet to be revealed. One allegation is that a Chinese criminal organization may be responsible for hacking Japan’s more lax cybersecurity.
Rooftop Bank Robbery
During a weekend in May, a group of New York City criminals made their way into the Maspeth Federal Savings Bank by cutting through the roof. The thieves cleared out many of the safe-deposit boxes and managed to snatch some free cash. That weekend a neighbor of the bank reported the appearance of a box on the roof of the bank and a black-painted ladder left in his backyard. But it was only when the bank re-opened did the police take the case seriously. The box on the rooftop was one of the many safe-deposit boxes left empty by the robbers.
Capture the North Korean Flag
On April 15th North Korea celebrated the birth of their regime founder, Kim II Sung. But this year the holiday was filled with mischief. On that day, the national flag was stolen from Chongjin city hall. Under the dictatorship of the regime founder’s grandson, Kim Jong Un, stealing the national flag is an act of treason. Thieves in North Korea, beware, because you may face a sentence similar to Otto Warmbier, an American student who traveled to the country and got himself into trouble. He confessed that he attempted to steal a propaganda banner he found in a hotel. For his crime, Warmbier was given 15 years of hard labor as his punishment.
A Golden Eagle Taken From Its Nest
Ron Shore created the Vancouver golden eagle to auction off and raise money for breast cancer charities. He was inspired by his sister, who died from the disease. But as Shore was making his way to a benefit charity, he encountered two men who robbed him clean of the golden eagle. The eagle is said to be worth $6 to $8 million and also included the Atocha Star Emerald, a renowned jewel that was retrieved in 1985 from a sunken Spanish galleon. Shore is offering a $10,000 reward and has reassured the public that the loss of the golden eagle is not an insurance scheme.
Bangladesh Bank Hack
In February, perpetrators undermined the Central Bank of Bangladesh. They managed to hack the digital credentials of the country’s bank account. They used SWIFT, a global inter-bank transfer system, to request the transfer of almost $1 billion held at the New York Federal Reserve Bank to private accounts in Asian banks. The illegal transfers were caught by a typo which alerted New York Fed workers and Bangladeshi officials to cancel the remaining transfers. Unfortunately, the hackers managed to take $81 million from bank accounts in the Philippines.
The Illegal Eel Trade
This past year, one of the biggest animal trafficking crimes was the $1 million shipment of frozen barbecue eels. Although the eels were brought to New Jersey legally, three cooks gave false paperwork to claim the eels before their rightful owner could. The original owner and the police managed to find the culprits when they investigated a group of men selling large quantities of eel for dirt cheap. Thankfully, the crooks were arrested and the eels were returned to their rightful owner.
How the Russian Intelligence Hacked the US Election
During the hard run campaign of the Democratic Party in the United States, the Russian intelligence managed to get a hold of emails from party officials, including Hilary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta. They made the emails public for everyone to see on Wikileaks, which in turn put a damper on Clinton’s campaign. Since the scandal erupted, US intelligence officials and lawmakers requested for further investigation on the role Russian hackers played in Trump’s victory as president.