A Jacksonville, Florida man was arrested for bank fraud, according to an article on News4Jax.com. The article indicates that the suspect was getting assistance from bank employees who provided the suspect with ATM and PIN information. The suspect then allegedly would deposit fraudulent checks through the bank ATM’s and withdraw the cash before the bank realized the checks were not valid. Jacksonville police estimated that the suspect took more than $300,000 in the scheme.
We have seen several of these kinds of fraud cases along with similar cases involving fraudulent checks and ATM cards. While these types of schemes do exist, they are not always easy to prove. People on juries expect that ATM machines have surveillance cameras and checks have fingerprints. They expect to see concrete proof of who was involved. However, those important elements of proof are often missing from these investigations. Each case needs to be analyzed to see exactly what can be proven. It is one thing to prove that the bank suffered a loss but quite another to prove exactly how it happened and who was responsible. The money and customer information that are involved in these cases often pass through several hands. It is up to the police and the state to prove beyond a reasonable doubt which of those people are responsible for the crime.