Robberies of postal workers have escalated sharply as fraudsters steal public mailbox keys in the first step of a chain of crimes that ends with drop accounts being loaded with millions in stolen funds.The technological skills of street gangs and other criminal groups are exceptionally sophisticated, allowing them to loot billions from individuals, businesses, municipalities, states and the federal government.The investigation also examined video and audio tapes of the gangs, court documents, confidential government records, affidavits and transcripts of government wiretaps. The inquiry involved extensive surveillance of criminals’ interactions on the dark web and secretive messaging apps that have become hives of illegal activity.

To better understand the growing phenomenon of drop accounts and their role in far-reaching crime, the Evidence-Based Cybersecurity Research Group at Georgia State University joined with The Conversation in a four-month investigation of this financial underworld. In the process, criminals are breathing new life into one of history’s oldest financial crimes: check fraud. These fraudsters are leveraging technology to obtain fake or stolen information to create the drop accounts, which are then used as the place to first “drop” and then launder purloined funds. At the heart of this unprecedented crime wave are so-called drop accounts – also known as “mule accounts”– created by street gangs, hackers and even rings of friends.

Scams facilitated by deceiving financial institutions – from international conglomerates to regional chains, community banks, and credit unions – are robbing millions of people and institutions out of billions and billions of dollars. Crimes like these happen every day across the country.

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