FBI Indicts Over Fifty Tren de Aragua Members for ATM Jack-potting Conspiracy, Seizes Domains Linked to Illegal Identity Document Marketplaces, and Issues Holiday Scam Warnings
This scheme, commonly referred to as ATM jack-potting, is alleged to have caused multi-million-dollar losses across multiple states.
UNITED STATES — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced indictments against more than fifty individuals affiliated with the Venezuelan-origin transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua for their alleged roles in a coordinated conspiracy to deploy malware that forced automated teller machines to dispense large sums of cash without authorization or account debiting.
This scheme, commonly referred to as ATM jack-potting, is alleged to have caused multi-million-dollar losses across multiple states, with proceeds reportedly directed to support Tren de Aragua operations.
In a separate but concurrent action, a Bangladeshi national was indicted for allegedly operating online marketplaces that sold high-resolution digital templates used to produce counterfeit U.S. identity documents, including passports, social security cards, and driver’s licenses. Law enforcement executed seizure of multiple associated domains as part of the disruption effort.
Simultaneously, the FBI renewed public warnings concerning an expected increase in holiday shopping scams. These schemes exploit seasonal consumer behavior through fabricated urgency, limited-time offers, appeals to fear, demands for secrecy, and instructions to use irreversible payment methods such as gift cards, cryptocurrency, or cash delivered by couriers.
These coordinated law enforcement actions reflect ongoing federal priorities to disrupt both sophisticated cyber-enabled financial crime by designated transnational criminal organizations and persistent social-engineering schemes targeting the public during periods of heightened economic activity.
