Nearly $100K stolen in ‘jackpotting’ scheme, SC police say. Here’s what that is
A New York man was recently extradited to South Carolina where he’s accused of being part of a group of people involved in an ATM jackpotting scam, according to the Florence Police Department.
Video surveillance was used to identify Freddy Hernandez-Gallo as one of multiple people involved in an Oct. 9, 2024 incident where nearly $100,000 was illegally withdrawn from a Florence bank via ATM jackpotting, police said in a news release.
What is ATM jackpotting?
Jackpotting involves electronic manipulation of an ATM, which essentially allows unlimited withdrawals from the ATM, according to the release.
“Jackpotting uses the elements of both physical crime and cybercrime to get an ATM to dispense cash,” according to TechTarget, an outlet whose purpose is to help executives navigate new technologies, according to its website. “The offenders use a portable device to physically connect to the ATM. This ‘rogue’ device can be a laptop, a smartphone or a tablet PC. They also use malware to target the machine’s cash dispenser and force it to dispense cash.”
The electronic thefts typically involve “one or two people (who) use a key to access the inside of an ATM to install a foreign device that allows a hacker to assume control of the ATM,” the U.S. Department of Justice said. “After the ATM is compromised, groups of individuals arrive at the ATM to conduct transactions and the ATM dispenses its cash reserves, which are untethered to any bank account. “
What happened in South Carolina?
On Oct. 10, police were told that there was a theft at 9 p.m. on Oct. 9 at the Anderson Brother’s Bank branch on 2nd Loop Road, according to the release.
Security footage showed several people, including Hernandez-Gallo, approaching the ATM throughout the night and withdrawing large amounts of money then leaving, police said.
Approximately $93,600 was taken from the ATM, according to the release.
Hernandez-Gallo was the only person that was identified, police said. He was located and arrested in New York and on Feb. 3 and extradited to the Florence County Detention Center, according to the release.
Once in South Carolina, the 41-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y. resident was charged with four counts of burglary/safecracking, in addition to single counts of grand larceny, robbery of an ATM, computer crime act violation and possession of burglary tools, police said.
Bond was set at $185,000 on the combined charges, and Hernandez-Gallo remains behind bars, jail records show.
Hernandez-Gallo is also being held pending an investigation by other federal agencies, according to the release.
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This story was originally published February 9, 2025 at 12:44 PM with the headline "Nearly $100K stolen in ‘jackpotting’ scheme, SC police say. Here’s what that is."
