Have you ever wondered what a robber is thinking during a bank heist? While we may not delve into their minds, today we’ll introduce you to some notorious bank robbers and examine a few unsolved bank robberies. From intense shootouts to a heist executed by an elderly man with a cane (yes, even seniors can rob banks!), here are the 10 Most Astonishing Bank Heists That Actually Happened!
10. Rip Torn
Rip’s first mistake in his attempt to rob a Connecticut bank was choosing to do so just before closing time, resulting in him being accidentally locked inside. His second error was forgetting his own notoriety—it’s hard to hide your identity when you’re a well-known figure.
09. The Cardboard Robbery
In 2008, more than 30 police officers responded to a PNC Bank with their weapons drawn after reports of a standoff that lasted several hours. Despite negotiations using bullhorns, no progress was made with the mysterious figure inside. Eventually, the SWAT team stormed the bank, only to find a cardboard cutout. It turned out that the bank’s alarm had been accidentally triggered.
8. Darth Vader
In 2010, a man dressed as Darth Vader tried to rob a Chase Bank but was forced to shout, “this is not a joke” after people dismissed his actions as a prank.
7. Hibernia Bank robbery
In 1974, Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of a newspaper magnate, was kidnapped from her Berkeley apartment by a cult. In a shocking twist, she was brainwashed and began participating in their bank robberies, including the notorious Hibernia Bank heist. Ultimately, she was pardoned by President Bill Clinton.
6. British Bank of the Middle East
On January 20, 1976, a group of robbers linked to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) took advantage of the chaos in Lebanon by blasting a hole in the side of a bank. They enlisted locksmiths, meticulously worked on the vault, and ultimately made off with the cash without raising any alarms.
5. Central Bank of Iraq Robbery
Saddam Hussein masterminded what is believed to be the largest heist in history, stealing $1 billion from the Iraqi Central Bank under the pretext of “protecting it from the Americans.”
4. The Catt Family
Scott Catt sought to assemble a bank robbery crew but lacked the necessary connections, so he resorted to an unusual source—his own children. His son agreed to participate to fund his college education, and eventually, his daughter was convinced to join as well. The trio scouted their target by pretending to be construction workers interested in opening accounts.
After the heist, police reviewed the security footage and found the construction vests suspiciously clean, which prompted an investigation. This clue led them to a local Home Depot, where they obtained Scott’s credit card information, ultimately resulting in the arrest of the Catt family.
3. Pacific National Bank
In 1978, Stanley Mark Rifkin successfully stole $10 million without ever touching any cash. As a computer consultant, he became familiar with the intricacies of wire transfers between banks in the area. He realized that passwords were frequently changed, often resulting in them being written down. By acquiring the piece of paper with the passwords, he initiated a transfer and walked away with a fortune.
2. Robert Vernon Toye
The most remarkable aspect of Toye’s story is that he was blind. He would wait outside New York banks for elderly individuals moving slowly, following them to the counter since he couldn’t find it himself. Then he would present a card that read, “Be quick, be quiet, or you’re dead.” On one occasion, a security guard even held the door open for him as he exited. However, his good fortune eventually came to an end, and the guards became less accommodating.
1. Nicholas Walker
After serving as an Army medic in Iraq, Walker’s life took a downward spiral. He experienced a divorce, developed a heroin addiction, and eventually resorted to robbing banks. Surprisingly, this criminal activity offered him some relief from his PTSD. Unlike many robbers, he wasn’t primarily driven by financial gain; he often gave away most of the stolen money, burned some, and used the rest to fuel his heroin habit. Eventually apprehended, he was diagnosed with PTSD and received treatment while incarcerated.