The Frisco Police Department (FPD) is warning residents to be cautious against falling victim to “bank jugging.”
Bank jugging involves robbers who stake out potential victims in bank parking lots. The often violent criminals then follow their target to their next destination in order to rob them.
“Juggers” typically target those who have withdrawn large amounts of cash from an ATM or bank teller.
An FPD representative told The Dallas Morning News that the department responded to 23 reports related to bank jugging in 2021.
The relatively high number of jugging incidents in Frisco reflects a broader trend of high crime rates in North Texas, mainly in Dallas, where city leaders failed to take the crime problem seriously and watched the number of property crimes explode last year.
Additionally, more than 2,500 robberies were committed in 2022, including bank juggings, according to the City of Dallas Open Data dashboard.
In a recent Facebook post, Frisco police described what the term “jugging” means and advised about how to keep yourself and your money safe.
The post explained bank jugging as “criminals who watch customers conduct business at a bank, and then follow them looking for an opportunity to break into their car looking for cash.”
Authorities recommended that citizens monitor their surroundings and conceal their money or bank bags before exiting the bank building.
Police further argued that citizens should never leave money or bank bags unattended in a vehicle, locked or unlocked. This tip applies even for a quick stop or while parked at home.
Bank jugging is also on the rise in other parts of the country, including the Los Angeles area.
“These are dangerous crimes,” Lt. Derek Green of the Burbank Police Department told KTLA. “The crime is usually when a group of people follow unsuspecting victims to a bank and wait for them to withdraw a large amount of cash. Once the victim leaves the bank, they follow them to their intended destination.”
Green went on to explain that sometimes bank juggings are meticulously planned and coordinated by aspiring criminals.
“You usually have somebody driving a vehicle,” Green said. “Oftentimes, you have somebody that’s actually inside the bank posing as a customer themselves and they’re in communication with each other, so they’re keeping close eyes on their victims.”
Call 9-1-1 if you suspect you are being followed, Frisco police advised.
Non-emergencies can be reported by calling 972-292-6010.