14 DAY TRIAL // A former NatWest bank clerk has been sentenced to four years in prison for his role in a scheme in which criminals attempted to steal over £1 million ($1.6 million / €1.2 million).
24-year-old Hans Patterson-Mensah allowed fraudsters to install a keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) switch to one of the bank's computers. The device gave the crooks access to the financial institution’s internal systems.
Once they gained access to the computer systems, the fraudsters changed some records to make it look like the people they were targeting had deposited large amounts of money into their accounts – between £50,000 ($80,000 / €60,000) and £100,000 ($160,000 / €120,000).
This tactic gave the attackers access to more than £1 million ($1.6 million / €1.2 million). Fortunately, the bank’s employees noticed that something was amiss when they conducted an audit at the end of the day. They managed to recovered most of the money.
The former clerk was found guilty of fraud by abuse of a position of trust.