Smaller Banks
Smaller banks as well as many of the victims tend not to make the thefts public, according to interviews with the customers and experts such as Woodhill. As the threat becomes better known, small-business customers and other target entities may shift their business to large, national banks, which can better absorb the losses to maintain customer relations and which have better security policies to protect clients from such crimes.
"It's frightening for small businesses because they have no clue about this," said Avivah Litan, an analyst at Stamford, Connecticut-based Gartner Inc., which does computer analysis. "They just don't have any clue, and everyone expects their bank to protect them. Businesses are not equipped to deal with this problem, and banks are barely equipped."
Customers used to being made whole when they are victims of credit-card fraud or ATM thefts have had to sue small and medium-size banks to recover losses after being blamed by their branches for permitting the crime, as Allison was.
Law Enforcement
The traditional help of law enforcement hasn't been there either for such customers. In the heyday of bank robberies in the 1930s, the FBI became famous for Tommy-gun shootouts with the bad guys, who were put on the Most Wanted list. In most cases, the identities of the John Dillingers and Pretty Boy Floyds of the 21st Century aren't known because of online anonymity, and the bureau doesn't disclose statistics on how much these cybercrooks are stealing.
Victims in the last two years have ranged from Green Ford Sales, a car dealership in Abilene, Kansas, to Golden State Bridge Inc., a construction company in California wine country. No need to use a mask or gun. These criminals can steal millions from the comfort of their homes dressed in their pajamas.
The crime profits can be staggering and the risks minimal. Jackson, the security expert, said three sophisticated gangs each haul in at least $100 million a year. That dwarfs the $43 million taken in all conventional bank heists in the U.S. last year, from stick-ups to burglaries, according to the FBI.
A $100 Million Hit
"A $100 million hit on a bank or a series of banks," Whitehouse said. "That's a pretty big bank robbery. And it doesn't even make the press. It just trickles through in FBI tip sheets."