Ask HN: Why do criminals rob banks and not millionaires? - hoodoof
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smt88
Bank robbers are not rational[1]. The risk/reward profile of bank robberies is
far worse than many other crimes, like selling weed.

Even for a rational person, robbing millionaires isn't easy because few
millionaires have something light, portable, and generic to steal (i.e. cash)
lying around the house. Jewelry may be hard to find, kept in a safe, and/or
easily identifiable, which reduces its value and makes it less liquid. Cash is
the most liquid and generic store of value, and it's also very portable.

Further, I'd suggest that robbing liquor stores is probably a much more common
crime because they also often have lots of cash in the register and aren't as
well-guarded as banks.

1\. [http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/06/11/what-you-
shou...](http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/06/11/what-you-should-know-
before-robbing-a-bank)

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billhendricksjr
It's an easier crime to commit, although maybe not to get away with. There are
banks on every corner, their layouts and policies are similar, and you know
where the cash is.

If you were going to rob a millionaire, where would you start? Who would you
target, how would you case their home, and what would you try to steal? As
smt88 points out, it's not like they're likely to have lots of liquid assets
lying around the house. A lot of millionaires have a big portion of their net
worth in equities and real estate, and the majority of their cash is almost
certainly in the bank.

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DrScump
Because millionaires tend to not have much _cash on hand_ (assuming they are
in a legal trade).

As Willie Sutton reputedly replied to a reporter's inquiry as to why he robbed
banks, "that's where the money is!"

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bryanrasmussen
millionaires? You mean like successful lawyers and doctors, members of the
middle class? Someone worth a couple million? I guess criminals do rob them,
using home invasion techniques. Generally though I guess these people are more
often the target of burglaries.

Maybe you mean Billionaires? In which case, they don't because of private
security, they're difficult to find, and anyway those people don't care cash.

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pink_dinner
Because millionaires have something to lose.

