Beware: Your Money Is Flowing Through Ancient Technology “What do you mean we got hacked?” I asked, not fully grasping the gravity of the situation. I don’t know how, but they hacked in and stole our money. “What?! How much?” I think it’s like fifty grand. I didn’t know what to say. $50,000 is a lot of money anytime, but back then it was huge for my business partner and me. We were finally starting to grow the business and trying to stockpile cash. A fifty grand hit could have been catastrophic. Someone, somewhere hacked into our computer systems and stole vital information that gave them access to our bank accounts. They started with small test withdrawals of less than $1, and when those went unnoticed, these criminals stole big chunks of money. Years later, I still don’t know how they got our info or where the vulnerability was. Neither does the bank. All we know is that we were nearly robbed of $50,000. I say nearly because our bank returned all those fraudulently spent funds, for which we’re grateful. It was still stressful and a colossal pain in the you know what filling out forms, filing claims, cooperating with investigations, closing accounts, and more. I learned something at the time that shocked me then, and it shocks me even more today that this hasn’t changed. Our bank gave us our money back but never pursued the criminals. They just ate the 50 grand without thinking twice about it, and the bad guys get away scot-free. The bank said it happens all the time, and the problem is even more widespread today as more of the world is digital. At a time when technology continues advancing and improving every industry, the technology that facilitates bank transfers is ancient. That makes it highly vulnerable to hacks. You probably don’t write as many checks as you once did, but you know those numbers along the bottom? They are routing and accounting numbers, and they are from a system developed half a century ago. Automated Clearing House – or ACH as it’s commonly abbreviated – is a computer-based network that handles electronic transactions between financial institutions. You and I use it all the time with things like direct deposit, scheduled debits, online bill payments, and more. ACH technology debuted in 1972. The Vietnam War was still going on. The Watergate scandal was just breaking. The Volkswagen Beetle – the original one – surpassed the Model T as the most produced car in history. 
Our world and our lives are very different 53 years later. Pretty much everything has changed – except technology that our hard-earned money passes through every day. And why is that technology stuck in the 70s? Because the banks choose to keep it that way. When we were hacked, I asked why the bank wouldn’t go after the criminals and try to get its money back. It’s part of doing business they said. It would cost more to install more secure systems than it does to just write off the losses. And those losses are huge! Banks lose billions per year… because it’s too expensive to replace the system. And ACH fraud is just one little corner of the massive cybercrime threat. Some estimates project more than 53 million Americans will fall victim in 2025. The U.S. accounts for roughly half of all targeted cybercrime (aren’t we lucky?), so we can easily calculate that well over 100 million people around the world will be victimized this year. | Recommended Link | | | | It could double your portfolio by foreseeing the biggest stock jumps on 5,000 different stocks – to the DAY – with 83% backtested accuracy. Already, it would’ve pointed to 15 stocks that could’ve doubled your money in under 50 days in our study. Click here to learn more. |  |
A cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds, according to a study by the University of Maryland – an average of 2,244 attacks per day. The cost is enormous, estimated to be a whopping $10.5 trillion this year worldwide. That would be the third-largest economy in the world if it were a country, behind the U.S. ($30 trillion) and China ($19.5 trillion) and well ahead of Germany ($4.5 trillion). That data is overwhelming and the conclusion is crystal clear: Securing our networks is mission critical. Banks may not be doing anything to help, but companies have stepped into the void. That makes cybersecurity a massive and growing industry, and one you should look into for your investments. We just added a growing leader in cybersecurity in my TradeSmith Investment Report. It’s an outstanding company that I’ve followed for years, and it is one of the best positioned to combat the ever-growing cybercrime problem. And of course is boasts a high Quantum Score, superior fundamentals, and classic signs of big money support. I used TradeSmith’s new seasonality tool to supplement my own data, and I loved what it found. It showed that this stock does especially well in the first part of the year. You can see it in the first bullish seasonal window, shaded in green, on the left. Over the last 15 years, these shares have moved higher in the first quarter 93% of the time with an average return of 17.1%. 
And yes, those other green areas mark additional bullish opportunities as identified by the tool. TradeSmith CEO Keith Kaplan is the brains behind this system, and he recently went live to show this cool new tool in action – as well as a breakthrough that could double your portfolio in 2025. It’s worth checking out, but it won’t be available much longer. You can click here to watch the replay now. As a data guy, I appreciate all the work that has gone into this, turning 33 years of market data into a strategy that accurately identifies the seasonal patterns of growth in 5,000 stocks. It has the accuracy required in successful systems – 83% back-tested – and can help you know exactly when to buy a stock, how long to hold it, and when you should pocket your profits. Be sure to watch the replay now, as it will only be available through Wednesday. Put cybersecurity stocks on your radar and check out this new investing tool and start 2025 on the right foot. Talk soon, 
Jason Bodner
Editor, Jason Bodner’s Power Trends | 
