Don’t be a victim of “jugging”

A lot of you are probably unfamiliar with the term “jugging” and are scratching your head right now. “Jugging” is the act of surveilling someone who is handling cash, then following them to their next destination and robbing them – often with significant violence. Unfortunately, these types of attacks are increasing at an alarming rate.

The victim can be a bank employee carrying cash. A business account holder bringing in the daily deposits. Consumers walking away from the ATM with large withdrawals, or counting cash in their car after the drive-thru. All are potential victims.

Protecting yourself from such attacks is not particularly complicated or costly. Perhaps the most effective countermeasure is to vary your routine in as many ways as possible. Take a different route as often as possible. And do so at different times of the day. If it is not a daily routine, change-up the days.  Regardless of the routine, always stay keenly aware of your surroundings. And the actions of others.

Another type of physical attack that we see increasing is “Intentional disablement”. With this MO, the perpetrator causes the ATM to go out-of-service. That can be easily accomplished in many different ways. Two of the most common are jamming the card reader or gluing the cash dispenser drawer shut. This will usually cause the ATM to go out of service, requiring the attention of a technician. The bad guys will lay in wait until the technician arrives, then attempt to empty the vault.

Protecting your team from such attacks is not as simple as staying aware of your surroundings. However, if the cause of the failure could have been intentional, additional caution may be in order.

Both of these Physical Attack sub-categories have been added to the CCMIS database structure. If any of your staff is a victim of Jugging or Intentional Disablement, we encourage you to use the CCMIS and the new sub-category to report the incident. Or any other incident that you become aware of.

All ATMIA members now have complete access to the CCMIS data and the ability to anonymously report ATM crime. A webinar is available to guide you through the process of creating an alias, searching the database, and analyzing ATM crime trends. Please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Best regards to all.

David