The Latest from National Terror Alert Response Center

US Warns - North Korea Test-fire of Missile Would Be Provocative Posted: 03 Feb 2009 09:27 PM PST The U.S. warned North Korea that test-firing a missile would be viewed as “provocative” after reports the communist state was preparing a rocket launch days after declaring the Korean peninsula was on the brink of war. “North Korea’s missile activities and, you know, its missile programs are of concern to the region,” State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters in Washington yesterday. “A ballistic missile launch by North Korea would be unhelpful and, frankly, provocative.” U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies believe North Korea may be preparing to test an intercontinental ballistic missile, Yonhap News said yesterday, citing an unidentified South Korean security official. Kim Jong Il’s regime announced Jan. 30 it was scrapping all military and political agreements with South Korea, accusing the government in Seoul of pursuing confrontational policies that were pushing the nations toward conflict. Analysts said North Korea’s rhetoric may have been aimed at drawing the attention of the new Obama administration in Washington. North Korea, which tested a nuclear weapon in 2006, has rejected international demands that inspectors be allowed to remove samples from its Yongbyon reactor, the source of the regime’s weapons-grade plutonium. The refusal has stalled six- nation disarmament talks that also involve the U.S., China, South Korea, Japan and Russia. Taepodong-2 Missile U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies recently observed a train carrying a long cylinder-shaped object believed to be a Taepodong-2 missile, Seoul-based Yonhap reported. The launch preparations are likely to be completed in a month or two, the news agency cited the intelligence official as saying. via Bloomberg.com: Japan. This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information.

FBI Uncovers Worldwide ATM Card Scam - $9 Million Stolen In Single Day Posted: 03 Feb 2009 01:37 PM PST Hackers orchestrated a highly coordinated, global attack on ATM cards involving the theft of a staggering $9 million from bank customers — and they could strike again. Customers’ personal information might also have been compromised in what federal agents are calling one of the most well-coordinated such schemes they’ve seen. The FBI said it uncovered the plot and is investigating. The alleged hackers are still at large and could orchestrate another attack. In a matter of hours, thieves struck ATMs from 49 different cities — including New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Moscow and Montreal — just after 8 p.m. EST on Nov. 8, according to the FBI. Part of the heist was caught on security camera images obtained by the TV station. The photos show people the FBI calls “cashers” — low-level participants in the plot who allegedly used bogus ATM cards with stolen information — at the machines. The scheme worked as follows: Plotters hacked into a computer system for a company called RBS WorldPay, which allows employers to transfer workers’ pay directly to a payroll card. The scam artists were then able to infiltrate the system and steal personal data needed to make duplicate ATM cards. Source This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information.

Man Arrested In Suspicious Powder Mailings Posted: 03 Feb 2009 01:28 PM PST A man apparently upset about losing more than $60,000 when the government took over a failed bank has been arrested on charges alleging he mailed threatening letters containing suspicious powder to banks and federal offices, authorities said Tuesday. Richard Leon Goyette, who also goes by the name Michael Jurek, was arrested Monday at the Albuquerque airport and is scheduled to make a preliminary court appearance later today. He is charged with a single count of knowingly and intentionally conveying false and misleading information. The letters, mailed to Chase Bank branches, FDIC offices and the Office of Thrift Supervision, contained white powder and threats warning that whoever opened the letters would die within 10 days, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr. Field tests on the letters proved the powder to be non- hazardous. “Mr. Goyette’s alleged criminal actions caused emergency responders and hazardous response teams immense unnecessary labor and expense, diverted personnel from actual emergencies, completely disrupted business at these financial institutions, and caused untold emotional distress to those who received letters,” said James T. Jacks, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. Goyette is accused of mailing 65 threatening letters in October to financial institutions and federal regulatory offices in 12 states. Sixty-four of the letters contained an unidentified white powder. Officials said Tuesday that the powder was calcium carbonate, a major component of blackboard chalk. Source This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information.

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