ORINDA, CALIFORNIA – When you visit the ATM and your local bank, how aware are you of your surroundings?
Do you wait for a moment in your car before going in, and perhaps scan for others in the area? Or do you blithely walk over while doomscrolling the Atlantic, complete unaware of the world around you?
And more to the point–if something really strange happened, like if you returned to your car and found a tire had gone flat–how would you respond?
The Orinda police are asking citizens to consider all those questions and more, as the incidence of local criminals “jugging” has increased dramatically around the busy holiday season.
Jugging, the Orinda PD say, is a tactic where thieves watch for someone who just withdrew cash (or left a bank/ATM with something valuable), then move in when they get a clean opportunity. Like the popular but innocent kids’ meme 6-7, the term “jugging” itself has no apparent meaning beyond referring to the crime.
Jugging is scary because it can start as something totally normal: you withdraw cash, deposit a check, or grab money for a contractor, a holiday purchase, or a kids’ activity — and someone in the lot is paying a little too much attention.
In some cases, suspects will follow a target to a second location and use distraction to create an opening. In one California incident described by Watsonville Police, an alleged crew placed a sharp object under a tire — apparently hoping a flat would get the victim to stop and become vulnerable.
“Preventing jugging from happening to you starts with being aware of your surroundings,” the Orinda police said in a statement.
“Keep an eye out for people who are paying extra attention to you while you’re at the bank or cash machine,” the police recommend. “Be discreet with withdrawn funds — securing them in a purse, wallet, or bag before returning to your vehicle.”
The police also recommend that you vary your routine. If you visit the same bank at the same time every morning to withdraw petty cash for your business, for example, criminals can easily learn that pattern. They might follow you back immediately. Or they might return in the night, break a window, and grab the cash they know is inside.
Changing up the branch you visit, the route you take, and other variables can throw them off.
If you feel like someone is watching you at the ATM, call 911 right away. And “If you feel like you are being followed, head to a well-populated public place or police station,” the police say.
“Jugging” is a lucrative crime, since criminals know that victims have cash at the ready, and they can choose when to strike. They also know that people tend to withdraw more cash around the holidays–perhaps for shopping, or to handle increased business in their own store or small business, or even just to give a holiday tip to a gardener or cleaner.
Again, criminals take advantage of that kindness. But by following the Orinda PD’s recommendations–whether you live in Orinda or the 925 more broadly–you can help to stay safe.
