Debit card scam reported at casinos

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Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2000 | 11:04 a.m.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Authorities say a family gang scammed more than $760,000 from US Bank through phony debit-card withdrawals at Minnesota and Wisconsin casinos.

Documents filed in Ramsey County District Court on Monday say five siblings and their mother and her significant other could face state and federal charges.

An affidavit by Roseville Police Investigator Joseph Guy states a four-month investigation by police, the FBI and a bank investigator showed the St. Paul family recruited people to open US Bank checking accounts with $100 provided by the family.

On the first Friday after new checks and debit cards arrived at the account holder's home address, family members deposited worthless checks, totaling $30,000 to $50,000, into the account.

On Saturday morning, multiple automated teller machine withdrawals of up to $2,800 each were made from casinos until the account froze.