A trio of criminals were recently caught in Lubbock, Texas, using Raspberry Pis to bypass security on ATMs to commit a series of burglaries. According to EverythingLubbock, a local news station reporting on the group's recent arrest, the trio stole over $5,000 (USD) from multiple ATMs around West Texas. Hat tip to LeePSPVideo for alerting us to the story.
A paywall shields the official court documents, but EverythingLubbock has summarized the charges. The three were arrested on August 3rd after authorities learned of their burglaries. The three were taken into custody after being found in a hotel room that contained a few Raspberry Pis among the recovered evidence.
According to EverythingLubbock, the court records explain that the Raspberry Pis were used to deactivate security, which allowed the criminals access to the cash drawer. Details are scarce confirming exactly how they interfered with the ATMs or how the security was breached.
The three received a charge of Unlawful Interception, Use, or Disclosure of Wire, Oral, or Electronic Communications and Engaging in Criminal Activity. One member received an additional charge of Forgery. More information about the charges is available in the official court records at PacerMonitor.
The records reportedly confirm that the group was directly witnessed stealing more than $5700 (USD) from one ATM. Police reported finding two Raspberry Pis in the burglars’ hotel room—the exact model of Pi was not specified, nor was it confirmed how the Pis were used beyond as tools to bypass security somehow.
Additional details about the court case, including the abovementioned summary, are available at the EverythingLubbock website. If you want to see more lawful ways to experiment with your Raspberry Pi, check out our Raspberry Pi projects of the month list for some inspiring creations made with our favorite SBC that won’t imprison you.
