Chapter 119 Unconventional: Crimes Occurring Within the System
The atmosphere in the conference room of the Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau was very heavy.
Squad leader Zhao Tiezhu frowned, his fingers tapping impatiently on the table. "A depositor lost 5,000 yuan, and there were six other unusual transfers, totaling 23,000 yuan. The bank almost suffered a run; this is a serious offense, and we must solve the case as soon as possible!"
Twenty-three thousand dollars was a huge sum of money in the 1990s!
Zhao Tiezhu held a cigarette between his fingers and took a deep drag: "Old Li, how's your investigation going? You're an expert in economic crime investigation."
Sitting next to him was Li Bin, in his forties, with his hair neatly combed. His eyes behind his glasses were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and his brows were furrowed even more tightly than Wang's. In front of him were a pile of printed bank documents and several blurry copies of surveillance screenshots.
When he heard Captain Wang call his name, he pushed up his glasses, his face full of exhaustion and frustration.
“Captain Wang, I’ve… checked almost everything on my end.” Li Bin’s voice was a little hoarse. “All the internal bank records, on the surface, point to this being a compliant operation.”
He picked up a printed copy of the bank's internal transaction log and pointed to several lines of densely packed codes and numbers: "Look here, July 14, 1998, 15:07:33, Terminal Operation Record - Terminal Number B03. Instruction Code: Transfer. Initiating Account: Zhang Chunhua. Receiving Account Last Four Digits: 7421, Amount: 5000. Operation Status: Successful."
He picked up another sheet of paper: "This contains the corresponding transaction number, timestamp, operator temporary authorization code... all the internal system records are complete. From the bank's electronic system perspective, this transaction shows—"
After a brief pause, he concluded: "Legal."
"Legal? It's legal when the money is lost?" Captain Wang's voice rose.
“That’s what the system records show,” Li Bin said helplessly, spreading his hands. “Just like the bank said, the surface process seems fine. I also went to the site to check that B03 terminal, the workstation used by teller Xiao Liu, who was in charge of that area, around 3 PM yesterday. She is that young woman.”
Li Bin pointed to several blurry screenshots next to him: "These are surveillance screenshots, and they're really bad. You can only vaguely see that someone was indeed sitting at that workstation operating the terminal during that time period, but you can't see their face at all, and there are no details of their movements."
He pulled out the interrogation record: "The teller, Xiao Liu, whose real name is Liu Li, has been working here for three years. She was extremely agitated and swore that she absolutely did not process this transfer at 3:07 pm yesterday. She said that at that time she was processing a fixed deposit for an elderly man, and the handwritten receipt was still in her drawer. Moreover, she emphasized that such a large transfer, according to regulations, requires the customer to be present to sign and confirm, and she could not have violated the rules, let alone know where that blurry signature came from."
"Where's the autograph?" Captain Wang pressed.
Li Bin pulled out the crucial copy of the transfer voucher and pointed to the blurry ink stain in the customer's signature area: "This is it. The technical team has taken a preliminary look and it's very difficult to restore. It looks like the pen ran out of ink when the signature was made, or... it was deliberately blurred. But the bank insists that the voucher was submitted like this, and there's nothing they can do about it."
"What about account permissions? Is it possible that someone else has stolen that teller's permissions?"
Li Bin shook his head: "Liu Li's teller account permissions are only the most basic deposit and withdrawal, and small-amount transfers, which is at a low-risk level. The bank's information department also cooperated in the investigation, saying that there were no abnormal login records for the account, the password had not been changed recently, and there were no signs of intrusion in the back-end system. Their exact words were: 'The system is operating normally, the firewall is secure, and there are no traces of external attacks.'"
Li Bin took off his glasses, wearily rubbed his temples, and sighed deeply: "Captain Wang, I've been working in economic crime investigation for over a decade, checking accounts and procedures, uncovering countless shady dealings. But this time... it's truly bizarre! All the electronic records definitively state that the money was transferred according to regulations, the teller vehemently denies it, the signatures are a mess, and the depositor has a perfect alibi. The bank vouched for the system's security. We've investigated thoroughly, but we can't find any useful clues at all; it feels like a ghost story."
The bank's system was being upgraded, and Li Bin's computer skills couldn't keep up. His frustration was palpable. This case made this experienced veteran economic crime investigator feel more powerless than ever before.
The meeting room was silent, except for the sound of Zhao's fingers tapping on the table; the atmosphere was oppressive.
After a long while, Captain Zhao turned his gaze to Jiang Ling, who had been sitting quietly at the conference table: "Jiang Ling, why don't you say a few words?"
Jiang Ling, the first police officer to arrive at the scene, also attended the meeting.
In recent years, she has been pursuing a master's degree at Huaxia Public Security University and has rarely participated in the branch's case investigation. However, the criminal psychological profiling team she formed has always been active, and the "three-fixed investigation method" she proposed is still the direction for everyone's investigation when encountering difficult cases.
Jiang Ling held a pen in her hand, with a copy of Zhang Chunhua's police report spread out in front of her. She listened very carefully, her gaze slowly sweeping over each piece of evidence that Li Bin presented, her mind flashing back to the bank robbery cases from her past life.
It was the 1990s, and bank computer systems were relatively rudimentary, with many vulnerabilities. Is it possible that the perpetrator was a computer expert who exploited these vulnerabilities?
Called out by Captain Zhao, Jiang Ling spoke up, her clear female voice standing out in the quiet conference room: "May I take a look at these?" She pointed to the pile of documents in front of Li Bin.
Li Bin pushed the materials over.
Jiang Ling took it and read it very slowly, page by page.
She first looked at Zhang Chunhua's statement, her eyes quickly scanning the written descriptions. Skipping over the emotional statements, she could confirm that Zhang Chunhua's bankbook was not lost, only she knew the password, and the money had simply vanished into thin air.
Then, Jiang Ling picked up the few blurry surveillance screenshots.
The image has a very grainy texture. In the background, at workstation B03, you can only see the outline of a person in a bank uniform facing the terminal. The face is completely submerged in a gray mosaic, and the details of the movement are indistinguishable.
Finally, her gaze fell on the crucial copy of the transfer receipt.
The receiving account number ended in 7421, with an amount of 5000.00. Her gaze lingered on the illegible stain in the customer's signature field, her brow furrowed slightly.
Jiang Ling looked up at Li Bin, who looked utterly defeated: "Did the bank say where the money was specifically transferred to? Was it withdrawn from the same branch counter? Or...?"
Li Bin immediately replied, "Oh, I checked. The money was transferred to a newly opened personal current account at a branch in another district of the city. The account holder is named Sun Ming, and the account was opened less than a week ago. The money was withdrawn in two installments of 2,500 each time at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China ATM on Jiefang Road in the city center just after 8 a.m. the day after the transfer.
"An ATM?" Jiang Ling's tone rose slightly.
“Yes, I withdrew cash from an ATM,” Li Bin confirmed.
In the 1990s, savings cards and ATMs were still relatively new, and many people were still used to taking their passbooks to the bank to withdraw money.
Jiang Ling turned to the transcript: "Zhang Chunhua clearly stated in the transcript that she only had a passbook and had never applied for a savings card." Her gaze swept over the blurry signature on the voucher again, and then looked at the blurry outline of the operator in the surveillance screenshot.
The conference room was quiet, and everyone's eyes were focused on Jiang Ling, waiting for her to continue.
Jiang Ling remained silent for about ten seconds. The "terminal operation", "teller denial", and "system security" recorded by Li Bin, Zhang Chunhua's fear and alibi, the blurry signature and image, the unfamiliar receiving account, the ATM withdrawal... these seemingly contradictory and conflicting points all pointed to one reality.
After organizing her thoughts, Jiang Ling spoke up: "On the surface, the bank's internal processes and records appear flawless and compliant with regulations. Ms. Zhang kept her passbook with her at all times, only she knew the password, and she was indeed not present at the scene. Teller Xiao Wang denied making any transactions, and the signature was illegible. The bank's technical department also guaranteed that there were no signs of the system being hacked."
"So, is it possible..." her voice was calm and clear, "that someone bypassed the obvious steps we conventionally understand, like 'stealing the passbook, tricking the password, and forging the signature'?"
This case has exceeded everyone's understanding in the Economic Crime Investigation Team, and everyone is focused on Jiang Ling.
Zhao Tiezhu said in a deep voice, "Xiao Jiang, you studied in Kyoto and are quite familiar with new things. If it's not a regular theft, then how did this kind of inexplicable transfer happen? Just tell us directly."
Jiang Ling said, "The perpetrator exploited some kind of loophole that we don't yet understand, or that exists within the banking system itself, to complete this transfer silently within the bank's electronic system? He didn't need to get Zhang's physical passbook, didn't need to know her password, and even... didn't need to forge a signature that could fool people? All he needed to do was make the system 'think' that the transaction had occurred legally."
Jiang Ling's gaze swept over Zhao Tiezhu and Li Bin's surprised and uncertain faces, and she slowed her pace of speech: "This invisible hand is inside the banking system."
The frustration on Li Bin's face was instantly replaced by an incredulous astonishment. He opened his mouth, and the words "This is too sci-fi" almost slipped out, but under Jiang Ling's calm yet resolute gaze, he swallowed them back.
"The system internally?" Zhao's voice suddenly rose. "Jiang Ling, do you have any basis for what you're saying? The bank patted its chest and said their system is rock solid!"
Li Bin finally found his voice, his tone filled with the stubbornness and confusion of a technician: "Officer Jiang, you mean... someone exploited a loophole in the bank's computer system? Like those hackers in the movies? But the bank's IT department checked repeatedly, and the firewall logs are clean, with no signs of external intrusion! Besides, they're using IBM machines, a major international manufacturer, they're perfectly secure!"
Jiang Ling met their gazes without wavering, instead laying out her reasoning more clearly: "It's not an external intrusion. At least, it's not necessarily a traditional computer hacker attack from outside the network. The bank vulnerability I'm talking about may exist in the system's design logic, in access control loopholes, in seemingly normal operating procedures, or even in the operating habits of some people within the bank that they take for granted but have never realized are dangerous."
Jiang Ling picked up the copy of the transfer receipt and pressed her fingertip firmly against the blurry signature: "Did anyone notice this signature? Why is it so blurry? Is it a machine malfunction? Was the operator panicked? Or did someone simply not care whether it was clear or not, or... deliberately make it illegible? Because it's completely unnecessary, or just a cover-up?"
Jiang Ling's gaze then shifted to the blurry surveillance screenshots: "And this image, it's blurred just right, proving only that someone was operating it, but not who. Is this just a coincidence that the equipment is old?"
"As for the bank's internal security guarantees," Jiang Ling sighed, "they guarantee 'no signs of external intrusion,' but can they guarantee that all internal operating procedures are 100% rigorous, all permissions are set up flawlessly, and all employees adhere to the rules without any loopholes? Can they guarantee that their system's log records are so accurate as to be irrefutable when dealing with abnormal operations?"
A series of rhetorical questions completely defied common sense.
Ordinary people generally believe that banks are state-owned and extremely safe, which is why they dare to deposit their money there. If the banking system were to malfunction, and people's deposited money could be transferred out without their knowledge, then who would dare to go to a bank?
This is a big problem!
Li Bin's lips moved, as if he wanted to refute, but the image of the young engineer in the bank's information department, with his confident yet slightly arrogant expression, involuntarily surfaced in his mind. Yes, they were investigating "external intrusions," their trust in internal processes bordering on blind obedience.
Captain Zhao frowned. His years of criminal investigation intuition told him that although Jiang Ling's approach was bold to the point of being bizarre, it was the only possibility.
This case is not a simple case of embezzlement or a crime committed by an acquaintance; it is a crime that occurred within the "system".
After a long period of contemplation, Captain Zhao's voice lowered: "So, according to you, this invisible hand might be a technical expert, or a seasoned veteran familiar with the shady dealings within the bank? Or even someone colluding with outsiders? But no matter who it is or how it does it, there has to be a starting point."
He stood up abruptly, his tall figure appearing even more imposing in the cramped conference room: "Investigate! This is a new type of crime we've never encountered before, we must investigate it thoroughly!"
He waved his hand and looked at Li Bin: "Old Li, compile everything you've found, all the records, logs, and vouchers provided by the banks, including the location and time of the ATM withdrawal, and that damn Sun Ming's account opening information. I'm going to report to Director Zhong!"
Li Bin responded loudly: "Yes!"
Team Leader Zhao then turned to Jiang Ling: "Jiang Ling, you're young and quick-witted. We need your help coming up with ideas for this case. I heard Director Zhong approved three days of leave for you, but time is money these days. Every minute we delay solving the case could mean another account suffering losses. What do you think..."
Jiang Ling stood up, her posture upright and her face serious: "I'll cancel my leave immediately."
A relieved smile appeared on Captain Zhao's face: "Good! Then let's work together, following this line within the system, and make sure to find this invisible hand!"
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