Hackers hit U.S., Russian banks in ATM robbery scam: report

A previously undetected group of Russian-language hackers silently stole nearly $10 million from at least 18 mostly U.S. and Russian banks in recent years by targeting interbank transfer systems, a Moscow-based security firm said on Monday. read more »

Hundreds Of Pounds Of Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee Part Of Bribery Charges For Massachusetts State Senator

A high-ranking Massachusetts lawmaker has been arrested and charged in a 113-count indictment that accuses him of running his State Senator office as a “criminal enterprise” that netted him $1 million in kickbacks and bribes, federal prosecutors announced today. The 102-page indictment charges him with racketeering, extortion, honest services fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the IRS and other charges.

Brian Joyce, 55, a former Democratic assistant majority leader in the Massachusetts State House, was led out of his home in the tony town of Westport shortly before sunrise on December 8, FBI Special Agent in Charge for Boston Hank Shaw said, adding that Joyce “was greedy, plain and simple.” read more »

Stock Trader Charged in Insider Trading Ring

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a former day trader with making more than $1 million in illegal insider trading profits as part of a ring that allegedly stole confidential information from investment banks and clients so they could trade in advance of secondary stock offerings.

The SEC alleges that Joseph Spera schemed with former colleagues, posing as legitimate portfolio managers to induce investment bankers to bring them ''over the wall'' and share nonpublic details about upcoming secondary offerings while agreeing not to disclose the information to others or trade before the offerings were announced.  Spera and the others involved allegedly violated those agreements and tipped each other with confidential information that enabled them to trade for a profit ahead of public announcements. read more »

RBS boss likens bitcoin to Dante’s Inferno

Call from Sir Howard Davies to take action on digital currency follows warnings from other senior figures in finance

Bitcoin has been likened to Dante’s Inferno by the chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland. As the digital currency surged towards $16,000, Sir Howard Davies suggested it should carry a similarly apocalyptic warning for investors.

Davies, a former head of the UK’s top financial watchdog, called on the Bank of England and other authorities around the world to launch a coordinated warning against the digital currency. read more »