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Bank teller stole $28,000 using 83-year-old customer’s debit cards, Tennessee cops say

A Tennessee man was working at a bank when he stole more than $28,000 from a woman, officials said.
A Tennessee man was working at a bank when he stole more than $28,000 from a woman, officials said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A bank teller used debit cards to steal thousands of dollars from an 83-year-old customer, Tennessee officials said.

Now, the Memphis-area man faces multiple charges, including identity theft and financial exploitation, according to online records published on Jan. 4.

The Memphis Police Department said the 27-year-old was working at a First National Bank when officers were conducting a separate fraud investigation. Police reportedly found the man in possession of a woman’s debit card in July 2021.

An officer reached out to the 83-year-old woman and learned her account “was fraudulently used for purchases and withdrawals,” according to online court records.

When the woman went to the bank to dispute the charges, the teller reportedly gave her a new card and asked for her pin number. He also “told her that the charges would be reversed,” according to an arrest affidavit.

But police believe the teller stole $28,111 from the woman. He was caught on video making withdrawals from her cards at Walmart and Bank of America from May to June 2021, officials said.

The man was taken into custody on Jan. 4 and charged with identity theft, financial exploitation of an elderly/vulnerable person, theft of property and “fraudulent use of credit/debit card,” according to the affidavit and Shelby County jail records.

The man — a 27-year-old living in the Cordova area — no longer works for the bank, WREG and WHBQ reported.

A McClatchy News reporter’s calls seeking additional information from the Memphis Police Department went unanswered on Jan. 5.

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This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 8:04 AM with the headline "Bank teller stole $28,000 using 83-year-old customer’s debit cards, Tennessee cops say."

Simone Jasper
The News & Observer
Simone Jasper is a service journalism reporter at The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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