AfterDawn: News

ATM hacker suspect used alias "Barack Obama" and wore wig

19-year old Thor Morris, a surfer from North Carolina, was arrested last month after his plans to hack dozens of ATM machines was undone by undercover FBI agents.

Morris was arrested after traveling to Houston in an attempt to steal about $300,000 from 35 different ATMs.



FBI agent Karen Ann Marinos said the suspect "planned to use a confidential operator's manual to reprogram a specific brand of ATM so that the machine would issue $20 for every $1 requested."

In an attempt to remain anonymous, Morris purchased a $400 "Walmart Green Dot PrePaid card," which would then be used to withdraw the money from each of the hacked machines. Morris used the alias "Barack Obama" and wore a "Rick James Wig," using an unsecured wireless hotspot to activate the card.

The card was activated as Barack Obama, with a Washington, D.C. address of "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" to boot.

When Morris tried to re-program one of the machines in Houston, the FBI swooped in on him.

Read the full affidavit here: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0504101atm1.html

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 8 May 2010 20:17

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• 25 comments

• hikaricor

  Gotta give him credit for trying.

  8.5.2010 20:28 #1

• chris1980

  Wow, that kid is pretty smart.
  

  8.5.2010 21:11 #2

• Hopium

  Originally posted by chris1980: Wow, that kid is pretty smart. if you think that's good you should see the guys that don't get caught :D

  8.5.2010 22:49 #3

• cyprusrom

  Originally posted by chris1980: Wow, that kid is pretty smart. Actually, I think that was pretty STUPID. Don't you think that when Big Brother monitors transactions and "Barack Obama" shows on the screen shopping in some Texas city they take a look into it? What a retard...

  8.5.2010 23:18 #4

• Pop_Smith

  I'm guessing the use of a wig would help if/when a security camera saw him. I'd bet that part of how they identified and caught him was because he used a credit card with his real name on it to buy the pre-paid card.
  
  You can probably load funds to the card via cash at Wally World, which would have been a much smarter idea than using a credit card like this guy probably did.
  
  If he was going to have a ATM spitting out $20 for every $1 "spent" why did he have a $400 pre-paid card? Also, what would have he done with the cash, slowly bought things with it? I guess as long as it was over a few months depositing $8,000 ($20*$400) in an account probably wouldn't have drawn much attention.
  

  http://www.megavideo.com/?v=V1VZAD0O <-- Brian Regan "Take Luck" video.
  
  "The only people who should buy Monster cable are people who light cigars with Benjamins." - Gizmodo

  8.5.2010 23:22 #5

• hikaricor

  He bought the card with cash edited by ddp.
  You should really read the full report before posting in the future..

  8.5.2010 23:31 #6

• cyprusrom

  Originally posted by hikaricor: He bought the card with cash edited by ddp.
  You should really read the full report before posting in the future.. So, you're being rude why?

  8.5.2010 23:35 #7

• Paula_X

  There are far better ways to rip off ATM's than using a service manual to enter codes from the keypad after putting a pre-paid card in.. but that's restricted info. Lets just say the people who get away with it are far more clever than this idiot.. because they leave no trace except a short balance across a stack of machines. Ever seen an atm churning out cash like it's going out of fashion with a blank blue screen? It will have gone mad for the next customer after the hacker... nuff said.. restricted...
  

  http://en.windows7sins.org/

  8.5.2010 23:42 #8

• Pop_Smith

  Originally posted by hikaricor: He bought the card with cash edited by PopSmith.
  You should really read the full report before posting in the future.. There is no need to be rude, when I originally posted I saw no mention of the word "cash" in either Andre's article or in the original report. The only mention I could find was in the affidavit, which I didn't read until after I had posted.
  

  http://www.megavideo.com/?v=V1VZAD0O <-- Brian Regan "Take Luck" video.
  
  "The only people who should buy Monster cable are people who light cigars with Benjamins." - Gizmodo

  9.5.2010 00:59 #9

• Hyasuma

  doesn't "prepaid" usually mean that you paid with cash? @-@

  9.5.2010 01:55 #10

• Pop_Smith

  Originally posted by Hyasuma: doesn't "prepaid" usually mean that you paid with cash? @-@ No, all "prepaid" means is that someone already loaded the card with their own money. When buying a "prepaid" card you can pay with cash, a credit card or even direct deposit; at least for the Wally World card this guy bought. See here.
  

  http://www.megavideo.com/?v=V1VZAD0O <-- Brian Regan "Take Luck" video.
  
  "The only people who should buy Monster cable are people who light cigars with Benjamins." - Gizmodo

  9.5.2010 12:06 #11

• ddp

  hikaricor, read the forum rules as is obvious you haven't, post edited.
  http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/2487
  

  9.5.2010 14:39 #12

• Paula_X

  Item title causes me to see images.. Obama in a wig?.. hehehe.. I think ol Barak looks rather like a black labrador's testicle.. bolok obama.... ma!.. where dem grits at?
  
  sorry.. local football team got well and truly thrashed today and it's made me sooooooo happy!!!
  

  http://en.windows7sins.org/

  9.5.2010 14:46 #13

• ddp

  win any money?
  

  9.5.2010 14:51 #14

• Paula_X

  nah.. but getting wiped on the floor 8-0 is more than reward for me.. I love it when they get slaughtered like that.. inbred wigan losers.. guess the town will get smashed up again later.. as usual actually when the toss pots lose.. or win.. or draw.. all these warburtons know how to do is fight.. like the scene at the start of 2001.. oh look.. a stick.. stick=hit things.. limit of their technology.
  
  
  
  

  http://en.windows7sins.org/

  9.5.2010 14:58 #15

• llongtheD

  Originally posted by cyprusrom: Originally posted by chris1980: Wow, that kid is pretty smart. Actually, I think that was pretty STUPID. Don't you think that when Big Brother monitors transactions and "Barack Obama" shows on the screen shopping in some Texas city they take a look into it? What a retard... Couldn't agree more, use that name and a red flag will pop up, "agencies" will be alerted. The kid was an idiot.
  

  If your fish seems sick, put it back in the water.

  9.5.2010 22:13 #16

• xboxdvl2

  I'm just surprised the FBI got him and secret service didnt get involved and wipe him out.Money is easy to blow but not easy to hide when its in a bank account.
  

  PS2 with 12 games.
  pc-windows 7,intel core quad Q8400,4 Gb ddr2,WD 500 GB hdd,ATI Radeon HD 4550 graphics,AOC 22inch LCD moniter.

  10.5.2010 00:28 #17

• KillerBug

  After all the money Barrack gave to the banks, the least they could do is to give back a few grand to some guy claiming to be Barrack, right?

  10.5.2010 02:35 #18

• blueboy09

  Originally posted by KillerBug: After all the money Barrack gave to the banks, the least they could do is to give back a few grand to some guy claiming to be Barrack, right? LOL! Yeah kind of ironic isn't it? I suppose if Obama himself went to withdraw his own money, the feds would be right there waiting on his doorstep as to why he did it in the first place, no? This guy needed to get a clue and a job, cause clearly he had waaay to much time on his hands!
  

  Life is about walking on thin ice, if you make too much drama, youll crack under pressure. - BLUEBOY

  10.5.2010 18:47 #19

• Mez

  Originally posted by chris1980: Wow, that kid is pretty smart. No, he was incredibly stupid. He picked an alias that was a sure fire road to ruin. Had he picked any other name and quit while he was ahead, he would have gotten away with it.

  13.5.2010 10:13 #20

• cuteycindyhoney (unverified)

  Originally posted by chris1980: Wow, that kid is pretty smart.
  Tell us in what way this was smart? The kid threw his whole future away, and didn't receive a dime!

  13.5.2010 14:56 #21

• WierdName

  My question is why did the original post make the point of noting his Facebook account supported John McCain? Not that I support McCain, but it seems to me like trying to transfer this guy's stupidity to McCain supporters...
  

  Doesnt expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected and therefore mean youre expecting the expected which was the unexpected until you expected it?
  "Opinions are immunities to being told were wrong." - Relient K

  13.5.2010 16:40 #22

• gtmtnbike

  If you read the affidavit, it states that the special FBI agent met him at the airport and was with him at Walmart and at the ATM. So they were on to him before due to some other reason/incident. It has nothing to do with the fact that he used the president's name/address for the particular crime in Texas.

  13.5.2010 16:49 #23

• Ceshomru

  After reading the affidavit, it seems like the original Brian guy was a snitch for the Feds, or of course a Fed himself. It mentions "Brian" as having a criminal history that he bragged about on a social site and that’s how the guys met. So either Brian is a snitch, a fed, or has his communications monitored and was busted in-between this whole mess. In any case a very interesting story that was surprisingly revealing.
  

  13.5.2010 19:57 #24

• Vizlor

  The only thing I don't get is How he activated the Wal-Mart green-dot card. If you look at the application screen they require not just name and address but e-mail address and most of all social security number otherwise it says it can't be processed and the card can't be activated, hence, lost pre loaded money and no ATM access! How could he POSSIBLY got hold of the President's SSN and E-Mail address? Unless he's a better hacker than I thought.

  24.10.2010 18:27 #25