Washington -- When it comes to multitasking, it's hard to beat the woman who can rob a bank and never interrupt her cell phone conversation. In an act of either incredible cool or something much more sinister, a young woman has robbed four Wachovia bank branches in northern Virginia in recent weeks, all while seemingly immersed in cell phone chats. In the most recent holdup, on Nov. 4 in Ashburn, a video shows the woman to be almost uninterested as a teller hands her a stack of cash, and she continues talking on her phone as she turns and walks out of the bank. "This is the first time that I can recall where we've had a crime committed while the person was using a cell phone," said Loudoun County sheriff's spokesman Kraig Troxell. The cell phone bandit first struck in Vienna, Va., on Oct. 12. The woman walked in carrying a box and talking on a cell phone. She moved directly to the teller counter and displayed a container the size of a shoe box that had a note taped on it demanding cash. I'm not entirely sure if she's just very "ballsy" or just so addicted to her phone she can't get off it (I know somebody like this, the battery in her phone doesn't last more than 7 hours on a full charge, and it's a newer phone too). Just put the phone down, and click for more...
Class. Perhaps she is a trainee bankrobber receiving instruction by phone. "What's that? Do I take out the gun now?... OK, it's pointing at the teller... OK, I'm handing over the note... OK, I got the money, what do I do now?" Perhaps she also thinks that if she never actually states that she wants you to hand over the money, that she can claim plausible deniability. "Hey, officer, I only put a shoebox on the counter. I was too distracted by my phonecall to notice what was going on...". I mean how did she manage to do the first ones without a gun?!? More likely, I suspect, is that the phone is used as a device to help her psychologically dissociate from the event and therefore the anxiety it produces.
LOL thats class thats quite plausible, you'd never know in this day and age, she could get let off or a reduced sentence if shes caught
That is extremely classy. Its probably just a good way of remaining calm, and of getting no arguements. I mean, lets face it, bank staff are trained to be polite, and polite people don't interrupt phone conversations. Its pretty smart I reckon.
I gotta say I'd have a hard time taking her threats seriously. Doesn't anybody tunnel into vaults at 2AM anymore?
How have they not caught her? Surely they just have to cross reference phone calls at places where she is at times where she was and then come up with a number and hense, a person.
I don't believe they actually track or record the location of mobile phone calls. They can obviously triangulate the phone if they know the number, and they can no doubt work out where all the phones are in an area if they try, but it'd have to be done at the time, which would mean doing things they really can't afford/legally do.
The phone could have a gps feature. In that case they just need the number. You could pick up a scanner for about a grand to find out the number if you can pick up the signal. A little social engineering and you have the location. The cops can skip this step and just ask.
Yes, but all that requires knowing which bank the robbery is going on in, and being that at the time, assuming the actual tranfser lasts less then 3 minutes, thats something thats not really going to happen.
No, you dont even need to do that. All phone call numbers send/receive are recorded not necessarily the conversation. You know where she was, you know what phone masts to look at, you take ALL the calls on those masts and cross match which numbers are recorded to be calling on the masts at each of the 4 locations and assuming the locations are far enough apart have perhaps a few numbers to investigate.
Yeah, the fact a call was made from X number to X number is held for something like 3 years in the UK. But the location of the call, Im pretty sure that isn't kept. Im almost certain that the extent of the record is X number called X number at X time.
Er... perhaps she wasn't actually making a call? Perhaps she was just pretending? Anyway I'm sure someone capable of robbing a bank is capable of obtaining a hot phone. Jeez. Get with the program, people...
Even if it's a hot phone they might still get lucky and get the same number which means if that number springs up again they can track it.
Perhaps she thought it could work as an alibi? "I couldn't have been robbing the bank as I was on the phone to my boyfriend the whole time M'Lord"
I think it's actually quite smart. Think about it: are people going to remember your face, or what you're wearing?
Yeah, that occured to me too... Interesting idea if bankrobbers are starting to employ psychological tricks. Next someone will try psychological reactance theory: "OK, hands up! I do NOT want you to give me any money!".
