European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 17, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes Friday february 17,1989 theft scheme raises fears about automated tellers los Angeles a a foiled scheme to steal$14 million from automated Teller machines has sparked concerns about the vulnerability of the sys tems particularly when an insider is involved officials  service agents raided a los Angeles apart ment on feb. 4 and broke up what the government described As a ring created by a 28-year-old computer Programmer designed to obtain Cash from thousands of Bank of America  has never been an attempt like this in the history of shared arms said Dale d. Browning president of plus systems inc., the nation s largest Auto Matic Teller machine network and one of the aborted scheme s targets. We can certainly learn a lot from it i think the potential there should be very scary for the networks said Shirley Norton a Bank of America  use has grown dramatically Over the past 10 years As a Means for customers to have Access to their accounts 24 hours a Day. There Are More than 72,000 arms nationwide and plus systems alone links 25,000 of the  crimes have been considered minor usually involving people being robbed after taking Money out of the machines or Small thefts by employees. But a study by the Bank administration Institute an Indus try research organization found that losses in 1986 nationwide were $40  officials said the sophistication of the criminals has increased As the number of arms has grown. Nearly $350,000 was stolen from Security Pacific National Bank in los Angeles in october when a Spe Cial card was used to steal Cash from 300 customer accounts. That theft is the largest reported atm crime. But that figure seems Small compared with the $7 million to $14 million that could have been stolen inthe latest scheme said assistant . Attorney Carolyn j.  Allan Koenig who had been a temporary con tract employee for get information services a subsidiary of get corp., is accused of dividing a plan to make 7,400 counterfeit atm cards. In his program Ming Job he had Access to secret atm codes at dozens of Banks. His wife sister brother and another person also were  foiled Bank of America attempt has prompted plus systems to plan new Steps to ensure that contractors comply with procedures to protect secret account information Browning  the Security standards Are implemented and enforced there should not be any Security breach he said. We Are now evaluating ways in which we can verify the enforcement of our  Nader offers so Rescue ideas Shaf sock if to Rich powerful Washington a the wealthy should Patmore to resolve the savings and loan crisis says con Sumer activist Ralph Nader in claiming the administration s Rescue plan puts the Burden on the poor and Middle  people of this country Are demanding that the government sock it to the Rich and powerful who caused the savings and loan crime and who will Benefit from its Resolution he said wednesday. Last week the president proposed spending $200 Bil lion Over the next 30 years about half of it from general tax revenues to sell or close insolvent institutions. Nader in a 23-Page report to . Taxpayers on the savings and loan crisis said spending general tax Revenue on a is would squeeze vital government programs such As education and housing. But he also acknowledged that imposing a major share of the cleanup Cost on healthy a is could drive some institutions toward insolvency. As an alternative Nader offered four tax increase proposals each of which would raise about $10 billion a year enough to pay the interest on government Bor rowing to resolve the problem. They Are boosting the marginal income tax rate for the nation s wealthiest taxpayers childless couples with taxable income higher than $149,250 a year for in stance from 28 percent to 33 percent. Levying a 0.5 percent tax on Stock sales which total de $2.3 trillion in 1987. Nader argued that this would Dampen speculation and encourage Long term investing. Raising corporate taxes estimated at $107 billion this year by 10 percent. Adopting a combination of higher Deposit insurance premiums and new excise taxes on Mutual funds junk Bonds leveraged buyout deals and mortgages for luxury  said any increase in Deposit insurance premiums paid by Banks and a is should be accompanied by measures restricting institutions from passing on the higher Cost to their smallest  the Bush plan to bail out the crooked and speculative savings and loan institutions the people who Are working every Day and paying their taxes Are paying the Bill he said. Under our plan the corporations the Banks and very upper in come people. Would pay the  Brown director of the Nader Groupman watch advocated restructuring the 12 regional Federal Home loan Banks owned bythe so Industry but Cre Nader ated by Congress in the1930s to borrow Money from Wall Street investors at Low government rates and pass on the Money to  said the boards of the regional Banks should be appointed by the department of housing a Durban development rather than elected by a is. The consumer Bankers association a Trade group representing about 900 Banks and a is rejected the proposal As massive social engineering which will Beso burdensome As to prevent the so Industry from Ever  stateside club women do their bit to reduce National debt Memphis Tenn. A members of Ashelby county women s club say they can help reduce the National debt and they be got $83 to Shelby county is going to Challenge All the Little White haired ladies across the country to help out All the Republican clubs said Dan Mckelvy publicity chairwoman for the group. Mckelvy s club the Shelby county Republican women began a fund drive at its monthly meeting this week with plans to help reduce the nation s $2.6 trillion debt. The opening collection Drew $83. While club members realize their initial contribution is somewhat Small they Hope it is the Start of bigger  Don t become a millionaire until you save your first Nickel said club president Dot Wieters. Contact Lens users warned on homemade solutions Washington a the food and drug administration said wednesday that it is asking Eye doctors to warn their Contact Lens patient that improper use of homemade Salt solutions can Lead to damaged vision and  Salt solutions prepared by Dis solving Salt tablets or capsules in water can reused safely in heat disinfection of Contact lenses or just before heat disinfection because the High temperature kills any germs that might be in the  solutions also should not be used with chemical disinfection of lenses because while the chemical solution kills most microorganisms that cause Eye infections it does no eliminate a particularly harmful organism called  Fra said that if homemade Salt solutions Are used the solution should be prepared fresh daily and discarded after use and the solution bottle should be sterilized in boiling water for 10minutes at least once a week. 89 slowdown expected in Energy consumption Washington up . Energy con sumption is expected to grow by less than 2 per cent in 1989, Down from the 4 percent growth rate registered last year the government reported  Energy information administration said the key factors behind the anticipated slowdown Are reduced economic activity and an assumed return to More Normal weather compared wit the extreme conditions experienced in 1988. In its quarterly report on Energy projections the Agency said demand for natural Gas is expected to Rise by slightly More than 1 percent i both 1989 and 1990 while demand for Coal will increase by about 1 percent in 1989 and 2 per cent in 1990. The report predicted demand for Petroleum will grow by 1 percent in 1989 and less than 1 percent in 1990. The growth in . 9 demand coupled with an expected reduction in Domestic production will result in continued increases Noil imports Over the next two years. Expert admits error but says Peary s claim still fake Baltimore a an astronomer who con tends adm. Robert e. Peary faked his claim that he reached the North pole in 1909 conceded thursday that he misread a key piece of evidence. Dennis Rawlins however said he still believes preponderance of evidence indicates that Peary never reached the pole and knew it. The Baltimore astronomer said an investigative team commissioned by the National geographic society was right in saying that he had misinterpreted a Page of Handwritten calculations by Peary but said the society s interpretation was off too. Earlier this month navigation foundation presi Dent Thomas d. Davies whose organization was hired by the society to look into the Peary controversy announced that a work Sheet Rawlins thought held com pass calculations actually showed time readings. Rawlins who argued in a 1970 article and a 1973 Book that Peary had been off course went further Las october. He said the work Sheet he had found among Peary s papers at the National archives contained navigational notes proving the explorer was 121 Miles away from the pole when he gave up his quest. In his Book Peary at the North pole fact or fic Tion Rawlins said Peary never got closer than 100 Miles to his goal. The astronomer said thursday that he still believes Peary was about that far off the Mark. The disputed document was in an envelope that Peary s wife to had labelled As her husband s observations at the time in 1909 when he claimed to have been at the pole. Davies a retired Navy rear Admiral said this Mont that three experts had examined the document and determined the calculations were not made in 1909,but several years earlier when Peary was about to set off on his 1905-1906 try for the pole. Rawlins said thursday that Davies interpretation of the time readings was incorrect and that they Are the readings Peary made on March 3, 1900, in Greenland just before he set out to round the Arctic Island s tip. It s a part of his greatest legitimate trip Rawlin said. The astronomer said Peary had reportedly told his wife that the Sheet was his most precious Possession and that it is Likely Peary was most proud of his Green land trip because it was never  Are other pieces of evidence that indicate Peary did not reach the pole Rawlins said. He pointed out that the explorer did not bring Back such Normal records As readings of Longitude and Compass variations. Davies said in an interview published thursday inthe Washington Post that Rawlins could be right and that his group s interpretation was  Haven t seen his numbers yet but Well want to look at them Davies said