We Got Hacked

We Couldn't Pay

Friday, April 15, 2011, I went out with a group of friends for some merry making. There were 4 or 5 of us on that night. We hit up our local haunt, Manchi Manchi. Manchi Manchi had been frequented by some members of my friend group for years. I had only moved to that area in February of 2011, but I was quick to adjust and adopt Manchi Manchi as my second home. It was a classic Korean pub from the time period when walled in booths, so that you could be in your own private area, were a standard. There were also some larger tables that were sectioned off for bigger groups. Many good nights happened in that joint and that night was no exception until something unfortunate happened. It was closing time. The bill arrived. We tried to pay. We couldn’t pay.

A few days prior to this meeting of the minds, NH Bank had undergone a huge North Korean cyberattack that had left the bank unable to function. The actual attack happened on April 12, 2011, but it was so bad that it affected the bank and operations for the next couple of weeks. While we had heard about the hacking a few days prior, we were unaware that our bank cards may not be working. They were slowly announcing the restoration of different services in different areas. The day before it had been announced that ATM and internet banking had been partially restored in some places.

After hearing this, we all felt fairly reassured that our cards would be working without issue for us. We were wrong. They didn’t work for us and we were standing there at closing time with a bill of around 250,000 won and only 100,000 won in cash between us. The good thing, as previously mentioned, was the fact that some of my friends had been frequenting the place for several years and the owners knew us and they knew that we were good for it. We left them the cash we had on hand and returned the next day with the remainder of the cash to close out the tab.

The whole ordeal taught me a valuable lesson. Always try to have some cash on hand. Your card, your app, or your phone may not work. Your only option may be cash. It also reinforced the value or being known and establishing good relationships in the community. If the owner didn’t know us and think well of us, things could have gotten heated. Instead, it was a relaxed, “catch me up tomorrow or when you get the cash.”

I know this story wasn’t anything as exciting as some of the others that I’ve shared, but it’s a memory that has remained with me. It was a time well spent with friends and something of a lesson to us all.

Now, enjoy a scroll of intoxicating substances. A collection that I've ingested. The nectar of the …

Cheers,

George