Chatham County Police Department urges residents to be vigilant amid rising crime | News | Savannah News, Events, Restaurants, Music

Chatham County Police are urging the public to be alert due to increasing crime along I-95.

The crime targets people who withdraw money from ATMs and bank branches during normal business hours. Chatham County Police have investigated four of these incidents and are aware that there have been victims in neighboring counties as well.

“This is a crime of opportunity and another reason we urge people to be aware of their surroundings and lock their vehicles,” said Chatham County Deputy Police Chief Julie Tolbert. “Victims lose thousands of dollars in cash to this criminal activity that they will never see again, and much of it is preventable.”

The criminals wait and watch customers withdrawing cash from ATMs or bank branches. They then follow the victim to their next stop – expecting the victim to leave the cash withdrawal in their unlocked vehicle. However, there have also been cases where the criminals break into victims’ locked cars if they believe they have left the cash inside.

Everyone is urged to exercise caution when withdrawing large amounts of cash, to be aware of their surroundings and to never leave large amounts of cash in a locked or unlocked vehicle.

Anyone with information about any of these incidents is asked to contact police. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the Chatham County Police Department app or the department’s online tip form, which can be found here: https://police.chathamcountyga.gov/Tips.

You can also call Crime Stoppers at 912-234-2020. There, tipsters remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.