ARLINGTON, Wash. – Three members of BECU were charged last week with a scheme that successfully stole more than $60,000 from one of the credit union’s ATM.
The members discovered that a software error combined with a mechanical malfunction would allow them to get twice the money that had been debited from the account, according to police.
Seven other people involved with the thefts are being offered a chance to enter a diversion program to avoid being charged with crimes, Snohomish County prosecutors said.
Video surveillance of the ATM captured numerous fraudulent transactions. One woman admitted that she and her boyfriend tampered with the ATM about 50 times. One man told police that he was a convicted felon who couldn’t get a job. His girlfriend was pregnant and he was using the money to live, court records said.
The members told investigators that they told other people about the scam and showed them how to manipulate the machine. They also convinced people to open accounts and turn over their debit cards to them. They would use the cards to steal from the ATM.
