ATM ‘jackpotting’ crime wave grows after thieves walk away with hundreds of thousands in cash

Authorities are searching for a group of suspects after police say they walked away with $175,000 in cash from a Virginia ATM in a rising crime trend nicknamed “jackpotting.” 

Jackpotting is defined as a cyber-physical crime in which thieves gain access to an ATM by installing malware or a physical “black box” device within the system, according to the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD). Criminals will then access the machine either through a physical connection or remotely to override the installed security system, causing the ATM to rapidly dispense large amounts of cash on demand. 

The crime spree began on Oct. 3, when an unknown man approached an Apple Federal Credit Union drive-thru ATM in Fair Oaks, a suburb located inside of Fairfax, at around 10:20 p.m., FCPD said in a statement. Police say the individual then used a key to access the ATM, though authorities do not know what actions were taken once the machine was opened. 

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At around 12:30 a.m. the following day, the same individual reportedly arrived at the ATM while driving a blue Jeep and opened the same ATM again, according to police.

Surveillance video captured the suspect returning to the ATM just 45 minutes later in the same vehicle, but with a second individual, police said. The pair spent about 15 minutes accessing the machine as they filmed their actions on their phones, according to police.

By 2 a.m., an unmasked suspect driving the same Jeep arrived at the ATM and began withdrawing cash without inserting a card or touching the machine, all while holding his phone near the device, according to authorities. 

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The individual briefly left, but returned nine minutes later and stayed until 2:44 a.m. as withdrawals continued, police said.

The Fairfax County Police Department is now asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspects, who allegedly made off with $175,000 in cash from the ATM. 

The incident is not the first to make national headlines in recent years. 

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In 2024, six Venezuelan nationals were indicted in federal court after prosecutors say they stole over $400,000 in cash from four separate ATMs throughout New York, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of New York.

Similarly, authorities in Georgia asked for the public’s help as they searched for two suspects wanted in connection with a jackpotting scheme targeting two standalone ATMs at separate gas stations last year. The suspects allegedly made off with thousands of dollars in profits after using malware to trick the machine’s security system, FOX 5 reported. 

The Fairfax County Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.