Hacker steals $135,000 from Duncan Aviation

Wow, you kind of failed 'CFO 101' if you wire transfer 135k outside of the country based on an email :mad2: .
 
My business does occasional wire transfers to buy parts from Taiwan and Hong Kong. It's not a simple process. I seems to me that either someone was on the inside of this thing or someone was incredibly incompetent.
 
Wow, that's really weird that they fell for that. Duncan is a huge employer here, very much a 1st class outfit.
 
Old Geek said:
My business does occasional wire transfers to buy parts from Taiwan and Hong Kong. It's not a simple process. I seems to me that either someone was on the inside of this thing or someone was incredibly incompetent.
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No, it's not easy to move large amounts overseas. My company sells equipment overseas and we frequently get transfers of 6 and occasionally 7 figures, and it's quite painful even with banks that are used to dealing with each other.
 
I'll wager this scam has it's roots in a distress e-mail from the "shareholder" telling someone they are overseas and need money to get home, out of jail or some variation...

What really surprises me is that anyone is investigating it...
 
Good chance they won't figure it out. It's not difficult to social engineer humans. I would sure the hell think the CFO would ask a few questions before he/she sends six figures based on an e-mail, but hell, **** happens.

Really a drop in the bucket for them. They've certainly made more expensive mistakes than that.
 
I'm not sure you can classify "Retarded fool falls for oldest trick in the book" as a hack.
 
SkyHog said:
I'm not sure you can classify "Retarded fool falls for oldest trick in the book" as a hack.
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That is what I was thinking. Along with lack of fiscal controls, who the heck does not double check when you have to send money out. I hope the CFO is let go, I would not want someone that gullible having access to my business' money.
 
"You can steal more money with a briefcase than a gun . . . "
 
ScottM said:
That is what I was thinking. Along with lack of fiscal controls, who the heck does not double check when you have to send money out. I hope the CFO is let go, I would not want someone that gullible having access to my business' money.
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Given their size it's possible the CFO has done a lot more good for them then that loss which is relatively minor in the larger picture of their operations.
 
So what the hell is Duncan Aviation, anyway? What is it about them that causes those that would normally declare this an "unacceptable" mistake to walk on eggshells around them?

Are they the "Old Man Potter" of Nebraska? Not calling you out specifically, Jesse, but I'm looking through all the Nebraskoans and the comments on the article.
 
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SkyHog said:
So what the hell is Duncan Aviation, anyway? What is it about them that causes those that would normally declare this an "unacceptable" mistake to walk on eggshells around them?

Are they the "Old Man Potter" of Nebraska? Not calling you out specifically, Jesse, but I'm looking through all the Nebraskoans and the comments on the article.
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Isn't Troy Martin's middle name Duncan? :D
 
"The police department is not naming the Duncan shareholder, who was entitled to request company money as a loan in advance of dividends being paid out."

That's sort of sophisticated, in that it required the perp to have fairly intimate knowledge of the relationship between the shareholder and Duncan. This goes beyond the typical "Nigerian prince" scam, or those folks who scam little old ladies out of their checking account or credit card information with a phone call.

Also interesting that the wire transfers were made to US and UK banks. It's not trivial to open an account at a US bank with fraudulent ID, and I'd assume the UK is similar. That's another bit of sophistication in the scheme...or a whole bunch of good info for the cops to figure out who's behind the scam.

If the wires were to Western Union, or Ukranian Third National Bank, that'd smell more like the "typical" scam.
 
SkyHog said:
So what the hell is Duncan Aviation, anyway? What is it about them that causes those that would normally declare this an "unacceptable" mistake to walk on eggshells around them?

Are they the "Old Man Potter" of Nebraska? Not calling you out specifically, Jesse, but I'm looking through all the Nebraskoans and the comments on the article.
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Duncan is a large and well-known maintenance facility internationally. They seem to cater more to the jet folks, so we in piston world don't hear of them as often. So while you and I would consider $135k to be a lot, to them that's more or less equivalent to the bill from one jet coming through for a normal workscope equivalent to a timing belt change on your car.

Now, the guy may or may not get fired over the deal, and I'm sure he'll get dinged somehow. Public embarrassment is obviously already there. But Jesse's comment about the drop in the bucket is likely correct.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Duncan is a large and well-known maintenance facility internationally. They seem to cater more to the jet folks, so we in piston world don't hear of them as often. So while you and I would consider $135k to be a lot, to them that's more or less equivalent to the bill from one jet coming through for a normal workscope equivalent to a timing belt change on your car.

Now, the guy may or may not get fired over the deal, and I'm sure he'll get dinged somehow. Public embarrassment is obviously already there. But Jesse's comment about the drop in the bucket is likely correct.
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Their CFO is a woman according to the website.

http://www.duncanaviation.aero/contact/contact.php?name=Cindy_Morris

Jus' saying for pronoun compatibility. Not refuting anything you said nor am I am saying that gender played any role in this.
 
The number of yahoo and gmail accounts that have been hacked is pretty amazing. It points to people using simple passwords or reset questions and answers like their first name, telephone number, dog's name, or dates. It also speaks to people sharing too much information on unsecured sites or with anonymous websites.
Use complex passwords with alpha and numeric. Add a special character or two. And change at least 4 times a year.
As to the CFO who sent the money, I am surprised anyone would not follow up with the account holder directly rather than blindly send money. On the other hand, email and text are used now to avoid ALL direct contact. It's the state of the world these days and as much as I think it is rude, it seems socially acceptable to email/text critical info (In hospital, running late, your house is on fire, please send $100k as my credit cards and money were stolen and I am stuck in eUrope) without follow up.
 
SkyHog said:
So what the hell is Duncan Aviation, anyway? What is it about them that causes those that would normally declare this an "unacceptable" mistake to walk on eggshells around them?

Are they the "Old Man Potter" of Nebraska? Not calling you out specifically, Jesse, but I'm looking through all the Nebraskoans and the comments on the article.
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Duncan is a pretty large employer in Lincoln and very respected throughout the community. They have a pretty solid leadership team. I'm not saying a $140,000 mistake isn't bad I'm saying that it's a very small dollar amount in their operations. They're not a small little maintenance shop at any given time they are doing major work on more jets than I can count around the clock.

When it comes to "mistakes" they've certainly made business decisions that have resulted in them losing more than $140,000. Any business of that size does. This wasn't like a ten million dollar loss.
 
I wouldn't fire someone for losing a particular amount of money. I would fire them for carelessness with company resources. Wiring a draft on expected dividends based on an email without calling up the person to confirm is beyond negligent.
 
jonnyjetprop said:
Of course, we punish the guy with the gun far more than the one who used a briefcase.
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It is a little more difficult to kill someone with a briefcase, and the victim probably feels a little less threatened (at least initially)...
 
jonnyjetprop said:
Of course, we punish the guy with the gun far more than the one who used a briefcase.
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The man with the gun scares the white-equivalent mother driving a mini-van with 2.3 kids in the back - whereas she may find the man with a briefcase 'dashing. . .'
 
So the Nigerian shareholder wanted her dividend payment a little early. What's the big fuss about?
 
weilke said:
I wouldn't fire someone for losing a particular amount of money. I would fire them for carelessness with company resources. Wiring a draft on expected dividends based on an email without calling up the person to confirm is beyond negligent.
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+1..........


If the CEO ain't out the door by now then the shareholders are dumber then dirt and deserve to lose their a$$.....:yes::rolleyes:
 
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