Fraud Suspect Tries To Swipe $130K From Prince George's Bank: Police

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — The public's help is needed in identifying the man who tried to steal an estimated $130,000 from an account at a Fort Washington bank.

A preliminary investigation indicates the suspect went to the bank located in the 10000 block of Indian Head Highway Nov. 22, 2022. Once he approached a teller, he posed as a customer who had an account at the bank. Using fraudulent identification, he was able to convince an employee to authorize the transfer of the large amount of money from the victim’s account to another account outside of the bank, the Prince George's Police Department reported.

But before the suspect could then withdraw the money from the second account, the bank determined the transaction was fraudulent and stopped it, according to the Prince George's Police.

If anyone has information on the suspect’s identify, call 301-516-1464. Callers wanting to remain anonymous can call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app search “P3 Tips” in the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app onto a mobile device. Refer to case 23-0004764. A cash reward is available.

The police department recommended the following tips for customers to protect themselves:

• Use multi-factor authentication with your bank

• Make the most of your bank’s security features, such as spending limits, push notifications for account activity and additional measures to prevent unauthorized access

• Ensure your bank has a good way to reach you

• Use lengthy and unique passwords

• Safeguard your financial records (such as bank records, social security cards, birth certificates)

• Ensure that you practice safe internet browsing. Personal identifying information can be obtained through phishing, malware, and harmful downloads

If a customer falls victim to an account takeover, take these steps:

• Place a credit report fraud alert and/or credit freeze on your identity with all three credit bureaus.
• Ensure that you change your account passwords. Update account information for the affected account and any others that share passwords with it.
• Make sure that you report the incident of identity theft to law enforcement
• File an online report with https://www.identitytheft.gov/

"Remember, personal identifying information can be leaked because of a data breach. A breach will leave you with insufficient time to secure your information and will occur without your knowledge. So, consider taking preemptive steps to protect access to your personal information and set in place with safeguards with your financial institutions," the police department noted.