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Complete Story
03/10/2026
'The new bank robbery': Area law enforcement, financial institutions see uptick in ATM 'jackpotting'
Telegraph Herald
Local law enforcement and financial institutions are increasingly dealing with what police call “the new bank robbery.”
Over the past year, authorities responded to at least three ATM “jackpotting” schemes in the area. The crime happens when someone installs malware on a bank ATM, forcing it to dispense cash.
“Basically, the thing starts spitting money out,” Dubuque County Sheriff Joe Kennedy said.
The trend isn’t unique to Dubuque. In February, the FBI warned of a national uptick in jackpotting schemes. More and more are popping up across the Midwest, according to Dubuque Police Lt. Luke Bock.
“It’s still a theft,” Bock said. “It’s still stealing something from somebody else, which has been happening for a long, long time. (It’s) just a different way of doing it, and in those cases, we utilized the technology that we have available to us (to investigate incidents).”
A jackpotting attack usually involves multiple people and vehicles, Kennedy said. Perpetrators often use a portable device such as a laptop, smartphone or tablet to physically connect to an ATM.
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