WOODWAY, TX — Police are warning residents of instances of "bank jugging" in the area.
Woodway Public Safety Department said that there was a burglary of a vehicle at an area business, where the victim was believed to be followed from a west Waco bank.
Bank jugging is where a suspect, or suspects, "case out" parking lots and search for customers leaving with cash in hand or bank bags. They will then follow these victims to their destination and then break into the vehicle to retreive the cash.
The department offered tips to avoid being a victim of bank jugging:
- Watch for occupied cars with no one getting out - sometimes with tinted windows and/or temporary license plates - parked with a clear view of the bank's front doors, ATM, or commercial drive-thru lane.
- Conceal your money before you leave the bank.
- Don't openly carry bank bags, envelopes, or coin boxes. Use a different type of bag.
- Watch for people following you.
- If you think you're being targeted, call 911 and keep the dispatcher in the know - where are you going? What direction are you headed? Keep driving until a marked police car finds you.
- Don't try to hide your bank bag in your car if you leave and go somewhere else.
- Make banking your last stop of your errands.
