back to article Barbie-brained Mattel exec phell for phishing, sent $3m to China

Toy maker Mattel has recovered some US$3 million it shipped off to Chinese hackers who sent a well-crafted phishing email to a finance executive. The recovery was mostly down to luck: the cash was wired on a Chinese bank holiday which meant the funds were held up and returned by fast-acting authorities. Sources told …

  1. Nick Kew

    Cross-border cooperation

    Sounds like it didn't take too much effort to persuade the chinese bank in question to block its dodgy client.

    What's the chance a US bank would be so cooperative in response to a request from a Chinese victim?

  2. Oengus
    Paris Hilton

    Blonde moment

    A Mattel executive having a blonde moment... Who would have thought.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Warm Braw

      Re: Blonde moment

      Well, their view of business does seem to have, er, issues....

      1. spiny norman

        Re: Blonde moment

        The shop link to "Entrepreneur Barbie" fails. Maybe she sold the Lemonade Stand business to Google. No sign of "Venture Capitalist Barbie" either.

    3. Kubla Cant

      Re: Blonde moment

      Finance is hard! Let's go shopping!

  3. NanoMeter

    Come On Barbie!

    Let's go party! (With some phishing money).

  4. adam payne

    You would have thought that there would be a process in place for transferring that amount of money.

    1. Jimbo 6

      Of course there's a process.

      However, as already discussed in a Reg article today (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/04/06/the_top_ten_things_your_users_need_to_know/ ), "self-important individuals... decide the processes and policies don't apply to them and do their own thing".

      1. revdjenk

        Process ... Schmocess

        "self-important individuals... decide the processes and policies don't apply to them and do their own thing".

        I know a few American Presidential candidates who fit that mold!

        1. Captain DaFt

          Re: Process ... Schmocess

          "I know a few American Presidential candidates who fit that mold!"

          I know two major American political parties that fit that mold. :(

  5. Stevie

    Bah!

    I thought Everyone Knew the Chinese are bingo fanatics. All one has to do is mention bingo and they are reduced to helplessness as they gibber "bingo!" over and over. So every email should include a mention of the word somewhere to attempt to provoke the reader into a bingo-crazed response, the receiving of which would clearly show that one was not in fact in contact with the CFO but rather a wily luxuriantly-mustached Chinaman in a silk kimono and pillbox hat.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Bah!

      Leapy Lee!!!!

  6. Kane
    Childcatcher

    Hypocritical

    So, when the company experiences an embarrassing loss of monies, they get the heavies in to recoup, but when they release a product that has so many security holes you can wash and drain your vegetables in it, no one gets involved?

    Fuck them, I'll be telling all my friends that have kids to boycott their products, and I'll make sure they tell their friends and associates to do the same.

    Won't somebody think of the children?

    1. Domino
      Facepalm

      Re: Hypocritical

      "So, when the company experiences an embarrassing loss of monies, they get the heavies in to recoup, but when they release a product that has so many security holes you can wash and drain your vegetables in it, no one gets involved?"

      I wouldn't say no one got involved. The crackers must have had some reason to think Mattel were an easy target.

  7. x 7

    its just a marketing campaign for Mattel's new "Bank Manager Bimbo Barbie" due for release next week.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    We've been trying to get a hold of you for years, your plastic nipple shipment is still in our warehouse. This is your last notice, sent payment at once or your order will be disposed of at your company's expense.

    1. x 7

      "plastic nipple shipment"

      we make those in the UK - a company in Glemsford in Suffolk (at least they did, I presume they're still there)

      Some of the staff used to get bored at night and make giant-sized floppy penises around 3 feet long.

      Highly funny when someone walks into a pub with one dangling out of his flies, and his mate jumps on him in front of the bar and cuts it off with a pair of scissors. Cue fainting women by the barload

      1. KA1AXY

        Video, or it didn't happen.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I suspect Barbie

    That new iBarbie with the insecure network access.

    Exec was probably 'playing' with his Hello Barbie:

    "Let's run off together, I can get hold of $3 Million and send it to a foreign bank"

    "Yes, lets!"

  10. steogede
    WTF?

    > Attackers had harvested open source information on staff, and is thought sources say to have hacked Mattel in order to understand its corporate hierarchy and payment patterns.

    What is 'open source information on staff' and what does 'Attackers... is thought sources say to have' mean in English?

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