How I Rob Banks

Chapter 4The Trolley Problem

Now and then, a job comes along that is so full of warning signs that you don't want to even consider taking it on. This one was one of those jobs. I should have been concerned that it was a government facility; that meant top-notch security. I should have seen the red flags when I was told the site was so sensitive that it had its own permanent police presence in a building next to my target. Still, I took the job and never regretted it.

For obvious reasons, I cannot give you much detail about the site. There will be no maps or geolocation specifics. But I can tell you that gaining access to the site and making my way across the grounds was one of the easiest jobs I had done to that point.

The site in this anecdote was like several other ultra-secure sites I have broken into during my career: they focus on stopping you from getting out rather than getting in—a very odd but specific security tactic. While most sites we deal with are built to prevent non-authorized individuals from gaining access, at a certain level, that often flips around. Ultra-secure sites tend not to highlight their security. For instance, consider this photograph my wife and I took on a visit to Area 51, the ultra-secret black site in the USA.

 

Note the lack of fencing, cameras, and other security measures you would expect at such a place. Another site with a similar approach ...