The McCalmon Group

Florida Bank Teller Arrested In ID Theft Scheme

November 20, 2024

In June 2022, a Pennsylvania resident of Lower Paxton Township contacted authorities to report unauthorized withdrawals and wire transfers out of her account with PNC Bank.

Upon investigation, authorities discovered that these transactions took place at a PNC Bank branch located in Palm Beach, Florida.

A 36-year-old bank teller was eventually arrested for allegedly using her position to illegally transfer over a hundred thousand dollars into her personal accounts from multiple customers' accounts. Her bail has been set at $150,000. Isaac Embry "Over $100k stolen from PA resident in bank teller's identity theft, fraud scheme: police" local21news.com (Oct. 10, 2024).

Commentary

Bank teller fraud is an increasing problem.

A New York times article, entitled "Bank Tellers, With Low Pay and High Access, Pose a Rising Security Risk," https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/02/nyregion/bank-tellers-with-access-to-accounts-pose-a-rising-security-risk.html?_r=0 revealed "rampant theft and fraud perpetrated by bank tellers."

Tellers are low-paid employees, often not subjected to background checks. This may be one reason they may be willing to break the law.

Because tellers have instant access to customer personal account information and to their cash, criminal tellers act as conduits for identity thieves. Tellers will take photos of account information and send to other criminals to take action or will sell the information on the black market.

If you believe that you have been the victim of fraud at a bank, you should notify the bank manager immediately. If the bank refuses to reimburse you for any fraudulent activity, file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, your local police, and the FBI.

Here are the types of data identity thieves like to obtain: