Print
In Portland, law enforcement officials have reported an increase in robberies or attempted robberies of individuals during or after using an ATM. Portland Police are referring to these crimes as "jugging." The term "Jugging" is when robbers wait outside an ATM or bank looking for someone to come out with a large amount of cash so they can rob them. As part of a news story to make the public aware of this issue and to help consumers protect themselves, Newscenter (WCSH 6 and WLBZ 2) reached out to your League to see if credit unions could provide the financial services industry perspective on this issue and advice to help consumers.
Because of the timing and location of the story, your League worked with Five County CU to provide comment for the story. "The Old Port area has had several of these issues occur, and Five County CU's branch on Commercial Street provided an appealing location for the news reporter to go for an interview and footage for the story," explained your League's VP of Governmental & Public Affairs Jon Paradise, who coordinated the interview with the station and CU.
Portland Police say the difference between "jugging" and a regular robbery is that the robber typically looks for someone carrying a cash envelope, which makes the customer an obvious target.
In the story, Mike Foley, VP of Sales and Business Development at Five County CU, shared some tips for consumers. "Make sure that you're not counting your cash at the machine, make the visit at the machine as brief as possible, and be aware of your surroundings."
Your League and Five County CU provided a list of safety tips that were posted as part of the online story on both stations' websites. A list of safety tips from Five County Credit Union.
"We appreciate anytime we can help protect consumers. Your League and Maine's credit unions are focused on being a resource on a variety of issues, and positioning credit unions as not only the best choice for financial services but also for consumer-friendly advice," explained your League's President John Murphy.
Resources: