Several Las Vegas casinos reportedly targeted by con artists who impersonate executives

IT IS A MODERN DAY CASINO HEIST, NOT A HOLDUP AT THE CASHIER'S CAGE BUT SOPHISTICATED SCAMS TARGETING EMPLOYEES WHO WORK INSIDE MULTIPLE CASINOS HIT AND POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING WHETHER THE SCAM CROSSES STATE LINES WE'VE LEARNED CIRCA CASINO IN DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS ON FREMONT STREET WAS HIT MORE THAN A MILLION DOLLARS TAKEN WHEN A CON ARTIST IMPERSONATED ONE OF THE OWNERS ON THE PHONE AND CONVINCED AN

EMPLOYEE TO WALK OUT WITH THE MONEY. IT WASN'T THE ONLY CASINO WHERE EMPLOYEES GOT DUPED. LAS VEGAS POLICE HAVE WARNED OTHER CASINOS THAT THE SCAM WORKS. IT HAS REPORTEDLY BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN SOME HALF DOZEN DIFFERENT CASINOS. SCOTT ROBEN IS KNOWN FOR HIS VITAL VEGAS BLOG HE'S BEEN REPORTING ON THIS STORY. SCOTT, THE BIGGEST CASINOS ON THE LAS VEGAS STRIP, CAESARS AND MGM BOTH TOLD ME THEY

WERE NOT VICTIMS. WHO WAS, EXPLAIN WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED ABOUT THE HEISTS AND HOW THEY WORK. >> YEAH, IT'S ALL VERY STRANGE AND WONDERFUL, MAYBE NOT FOR THE CASINOS BUT AS AN OBSERVER OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, IT'S A PECULIAR SITUATION BECAUSE, AS YOU SAID, IT'S NOT A TRADITIONAL ROBBERY WHERE SOMEONE WILL WALK UP TO A CAGE AND POINT A GUN THE EMPLOYEES ACTUALLY DELIVERED THE MONEY

TO THE BAD GUYS. I CANNOT SAY THE NAME OF THE CASINOS. I HAVE BEEN SWORN TO SECRECY ON THE SPECIFIC ONES, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS -- AND THIS REALLY HASN'T BEEN CONFIRMED OR REPORTED WIDELY -- THAT IT WAS FIVE LAS VEGAS CASINOS, ONE IN MES MESQUITE, AND THE FOLKS INVOLVED THINK THERE WAS ANOTHER CASE OF THIS IN COLORADO >> AND INVESTIGATORS ARE TRYING TO CONNECT THE

DOTS NOW, RIGHT I'VE HEARD THAT THE SCHEMES RUN FROM EVERYTHING THAT THE OWNER'S BEEN KIDNAPPED AND YOU'VE GOT TO GO AND GIVE THIS MONEY TO THE LAWYER TO PAY IT OFF TO WE DIDN'T PAY OUR FIRE SUPPRESSION BILL AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS GOING TO SHOW UP TOMORROW AND SHUT US DOWN UNLESS YOU GET THIS MONEY OVER TO THE LAWYER REALLY QUICK, AND THE LAWYER IS,

YOU KNOW, SOME LIKE, WHAT, A DUPE? LIKE SOMEBODY WHO'S A MULE WHO IS THE GUY >> MULE IS DEFINITELY THE PERFECT WORD FOR THAT IN THIS SITUATION. YES, AND THE AUTHORITIES HAVE BEEN TRYING TO PIECE THIS TOGETHER FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. OUR LOCAL POLICE COMMUNICATED THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON IN LAS VEGAS FOR AT LEAST FIVE MONTHS NONE OF THE OTHER CASINOS HAVE -- THEY HAVEN'T

BEEN THE CENTER OF THE STORY BECAUSE CIRCA IS THE FIRST CASE WHERE SOMEONE WAS ARRESTED SO THAT'S THE DITCHES, AND THAT'S WHY CIRCA IS ON THE RADAR NOW AND HAS SPARKED REST OF THE STORY. >> IT'S ALSO THAT ONE OF THE OWNERS HERE, CIRCA'S OWNER DEREK STEVENS, A CO-OWNER TWEETED ABOUT IT AND BASICALLY CONFIRMED THAT IT HAPPENED NORMALLY, CASINOS DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH

THEY LOSE IN THEFT BECAUSE IT'S NOT GOOD BUSINESS THEY DON'T WANT OTHER THIEVES TO MIMIC IT AND COPY IT, BUT THIS APPARENTLY IS SUCCESSFUL SCAM AND HAS BEEN GOING ON. THEY CALL IT SOCIAL ENGINEERING. WHAT'S YOUR SENSE OF THE WAY THAT THE SECURITY PROTOCOLS FOR THESE CASINOS FAILED IN THAT AN EMPLOYEE WAS ABLE TO BE EMOTIONALLY CONVINCED THAT THE PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING MONEY SHOULD BE IGNORED?

>> YEAH, AS YOU KNOW, CASINOS HAVE SOME OF THE MOST SOPHISTICATED SECURITY SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE MOST CASH ON HAND. BUT THE WEAK LINK IN ANY SCAM, ANY BUSINESS IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE HUMAN BEINGS. IT'S A LITTLE BIT LIKE WHEN YOU GET AN EMAIL AND IT SAYS CLICK ON A FILE AND NOW YOU'RE INA COMPANY SYSTEM THAT COOPKIND OF HACKING AND

SCAMMING IS BECOMING MORE PREVALENT LARGELY BECAUSE OF TECHNOLOGY THE CRIMINALS HAVE NOT INFILTRATED THE COMPANY. THESE FOLKS ARE OF A SPECIFIC GENDER THEY'RE FEMALE THE WOMEN IN THESE CAGES, AND THEY'RE FAIRLY HIGH LEVEL. YOU CAN'T WALK OUT OF A CASINO UNLESS YOU'RE A HIGH LEVEL PERSON, BUT IT'S PEOPLE WHO ARE -- THEY WANT TO HELP SO THE CRIMINALS ARE ACTUALLY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEIR WANTING TO

HELP THEIR EMPLOYER, THEIR BOSS THEY'RE HEARING THIS FROM THE OWNER. >> AND T