BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – ATM break-ins have been a growing issue. One of the most recent incidents took place in Brown County when a Chase Bank in Allouez was robbed.
“I cannot say the amount,” Brown County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Brian Slinger said. “I will say, they were successful, and it is a substantial amount of money.”
ATM thefts like the one in Allouez are nothing new, and according to Slinger, there may be a connection.
“We’re thinking this is a organized group that’s probably traveling the country doing this. We’ve had numerous instances within the past few months of this occurring around here,” Slinger said.
Slinger tells FOX 11 investigations into situations like the one in Allouez can take longer because the suspects are believed to be traveling.
In a similar incident in Grafton in February, suspects tied a rope to the machine and removed it using a truck.
More recently, another ATM was taken in Howard. In that instance, the machine pulled off the base it was on, and no money was taken. There is an ongoing investigation.
“They do that unseen; it takes a matter of minutes,” Slinger said. “Collect the money and the trays and then leave the area, typically discarding the stolen vehicle somewhere and then presumably transitioning to whatever vehicle they would have arrived in.”
The Appleton Police Department also confirmed an investigation into similar incidents. Despite the apparent rise, bankers in the state aren’t feeling any less secure.
“The biggest headache, frankly, for the bank, is replacing the machine,” Wisconsin Bankers Association President and CEO Rose Oswald Poels said. “You know, if it’s been pretty well damaged, they can’t put it back into reuse. And these machines cost anywhere from 80 to 100 thousand dollars or more.”
Oswald Poels said the public shouldn’t be concerned in cases where a robbery is successful.
“That’s 100% on the bank. The customer’s money is always safe,” she said.
Poels also said occurrences are usually infrequent and unsuccessful enough that banks shouldn’t need to reconsider their ATM security.
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