Reports of theft targeting senior citizens in the lakeside area are on the rise.
On Tuesday, February 18, Chapala’s municipal police arrested a man suspected of attempting to swindle an elderly customer at the city’s Santander Bank ATM.
Bank personnel alerted authorities at 10:30 a.m., and officers were quickly dispatched to search for the suspect. He was described as a stocky man dressed in black sweatpants, a black sweatshirt, and black tennis shoes. Two patrol units intercepted him just two blocks from the bank on Avenida Hidalgo.
The suspect allegedly grabbed the victim’s gray bank card and attempted to swap it with a counterfeit card, presumably to gain access to the victim’s account. When the scam was detected, he fled on foot.
The detainee, a 50-year-old man with a listed address in Tijuana, Baja California, was identified by the victim, a 77-year-old Ajijic resident. A search of the suspect revealed a black wallet containing more than 20 bank cards from various financial institutions.
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