US Congresswoman wants probe on Bangladesh Bank heist

[BOSTON] US Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, on Tuesday told the Federal Reserve Bank of New York she wants a probe of last month's cyber heist from a Bangladesh Central Bank account at the New York Fed.

"We need a thorough investigation to determine how these criminals were able to manipulate the system so that banks and financial institutions can institute standards that will prevent hackers and cyber criminals from siphoning money out of accounts like those held at the New York Fed again," she said in the letter, which was seen by Reuters.

She said she would like a private briefing with bank staff to ask questions including whether it is appropriate to rely only on authentication from the private Swift bank messaging network for outgoing payments from the accounts of foreign central banks.

A New York Fed spokeswoman said the bank would work with Maloney's office to arrange a time to talk.

A representative for Swift could not immediately be reached for comment.

The US$81 million heist has prompted the resignation of Bangladesh's central bank governor, Atiur Rahman.

REUTERS