GREEN COUNTY (WKOW) — Authorities across southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois are investigating a number of business robberies where a man was able to take money using nothing but his acting skills and charisma.
“This one’s a little unique,” said Green County Chief Deputy, Tom Moczynski. “I haven’t seen anything like this in a long time.”
The suspect usually poses as a customer.
“In almost every case, a white male approaches a cashier at a business, convinces that employee that they are familiar with the owner and has permission from the owner to obtain a loan from the business,” the Green County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Law enforcement from Monroe, Brodhead, Darlington, South Wayne, Cuba City, Galena, Dane County and several northern Illinois communities are also investigating the incident, according to the Green County Sheriff.
“We have about a half of dozen law enforcement agencies working on similar cases,” Moczynski said.
According to the release, the man usually tells employees his wife was in a “serious car crash” and convinces the employee to give him money for a tow truck. He generally is able to walk away with $150.
“The suspect actually will sometimes get on a cellphone or a phone and pretend to talk to the owner to gain the confidence of the employee,” Moczynski said.
The man has even given employees handwritten receipts with a made-up name.
“The suspect is highly skilled in manipulating the business employees, but there have been no acts of or threats of violence,” the Green County Sheriff’s office said.
Green County sheriffs asked businesses to educate their employees about the thefts and report any similar incident to local authorities.
The man hasn’t threatened violence to any of his victims yet.
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