Clearwater police recently arrested two men in connection with an ATM scam using a method new to the area. The suspects, identified by WFLA as 25-year-old Brandon Esteban Acosta Castillo and 20-year-old Andrew Joshua Llactas Jimenez, reportedly placed quarters in ATM card slots to block use.
Police went to the Wells Fargo Bank on Sunset Point Road and chased the two suspects on foot, leading to their arrest. Castillo and Jimenez have been charged with multiple fraud-related offenses, According to WTSP, video footage showed one of the suspects approaching a customer at an ATM, pretending to help, and then leaving with the customer’s card.
The Clearwater Police Department (CPD) has linked the suspects to at least four local incidents, with potential additional victims across Pinellas County and possibly elsewhere in Florida.
The arrests have drawn attention to ATM-related scams and the potential risk to residents, including the elderly. The Clearwater Police Department is continuing its investigation and looking for additional victims.
