What is bank jugging? Police say it happened at VB Wells Fargo
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The nationwide criminal trend of bank jugging has hit home.
A recent case, in which suspects observe victims as they leave banks and then steal their money, took place in Virginia Beach late last month.
In that case, a Wells Fargo customer was swindled out of $33,000 in a Nov. 20 heist after having just withdrawn the money, Virginia Beach Police said.
VBPD: Suspects schemed to steal $33K from woman outside bank
That person was just one of the latest victims of jugging, which comes under a criminal charge of grand larceny. In the last year, it has also happened in Portsmouth.
10 On Your Side found a witness who watched a victim lose her money.
We showed Kim Chappell a picture of the suspect who ‘jugged” the victim.
Shown a photo of the suspect, Chappell said the person looked familiar to her.
On the day of the incident, the victim went into the Wells Fargo, followed by the female suspect, who watched the transaction. The victim, a woman, did not know she was being followed, and also, did not know there was a male suspect in the parking lot deflating her tire.
According to police, the victim began to drive away and made it to a parking spot about 300 yards away from the Wells Fargo. There, the male suspect told her she had a flat tire, and he helped her fix it.
She thought he was a friend, but he really turned out to be a foe.
They start changing the tire, diverting the victim’s attention while not noticing that the female suspect took the $33,000 out of the victim’s purse through the window of her van.
“So, I am coming out, and I hear screaming,” said Kim Chappell, who had just come out of the nearby Kroger grocery store, “and the victim is running towards the white SUV which was parked two cars away from me. At this point, they were screaming, ‘get her plates, get her plates. She stole my money.’”
Everything happened so quickly, no one got the tags.
“I asked them what had happened, and they said it was a whole set up,” Chappell said. “They had just stolen the money. The lady went around the front of the car and stole the money. They were crying hysterically and said they had taken their whole retirement.”
The victim, an older person, started running after the car.
“She runs after the car with her crowbar,” Chappell said. “She did hit on the white SUV with the crowbar, she hit the car, but did not break the window.”
The two suspects left Providence Square Shopping Center with all the money.
This is a classic case of jugging — the suspects watching the victim withdraw money then setting her up to steal it.
‘Bank jugging’ is latest trend in robberies: What is it?
Virginia Beach Police Officer Jude Brenya cautions others to beware of jugging.
“Some safety tips we are giving out is to have extra people go with you,” Brenya said, “and if you are going to bank to get a large sum of money, then take another person with you to be the extra set of eyes, and to always be aware of your surroundings.”
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