A New York man is facing charges in Schuylkill County after police say he and an accomplice known only as “Moe” attempted a bank fraud scheme in Schuylkill Haven earlier this month.
According to court records, borough police were alerted to possible identity theft at the M&T Bank branch on Main Street on Aug. 18. When officers arrived, they found a man leaving the bank who matched a description provided by employees.
The suspect identified himself as Jack Anderson of the Bronx but had no ID. He gave police his Social Security Number and date of birth and said he was at the bank to make a deposit. When pressed, Anderson admitted another man — “Moe” — had given him a fake U.S. passport, a Citibank Visa card, and personal information for the identity theft victim on a scrap of paper.
Police say Anderson was instructed to deposit a check for $8,560 and then withdraw $2,000, which he planned to give to Moe. Anderson reportedly told officers he expected no payment for his role but might get “some perks” such as food.
Bank staff told police the identification Anderson presented was an obvious fake and that he stumbled when asked for basic details about the victim, raising red flags. They also noted the check he tried to deposit was drawn on an account belonging to Plymouth Rock Insurance and made out to the victim, who has a Buffalo, New York, address.
Anderson later told investigators that Moe had approached him in New York earlier that day, offered him the job, and drove him to Schuylkill Haven. On the way, Moe allegedly took Anderson’s photo to make the fake ID. Police said that claim didn’t add up because the shirt Anderson wore in the ID photo didn’t match what he was wearing at the time of his arrest.
As the investigation continued, authorities learned that Anderson and Moe had tried a similar scheme earlier the same day at another M&T Bank branch in Womelsdorf.
At a preliminary hearing on Aug. 28, prosecutors withdrew charges of identity theft and possessing a counterfeit access device. Anderson waived the hearing, and four felony charges — access device fraud, forgery, theft by deception, and attempted theft by deception — were sent to Schuylkill County Court.
He is being held in Schuylkill County Prison on 10% of $5,000 bail.
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