As the holiday season approaches, authorities across the nation are urging shoppers to stay alert due to the rise of a crime trend known as “jugging,” which is gaining popularity for its quick monetary payoff.

This crime involves perpetrators tailing their targets from locations such as ATMs, banks, or shops, intending to rob them of cash or newly acquired items. According to the FBI, such incidents tend to increase during the holiday period when people are more likely to carry large amounts of money or expensive gifts.

“Jugging is essentially a term for crimes that capitalize on opportunity,” explained Bill Stanton, a retired NYPD officer, in an interview with Fox News Digital. “It’s akin to predators lurking near a watering hole, with ATMs serving as the modern equivalent in these scenarios.”

This alarming trend has caught national attention, with numerous reports of individuals being victimized. The latest case involved a man in Texas earlier this month.

Surveillance footage captured an incident on April 28, 2025, in Houston, Texas, where two individuals allegedly smashed the windows of a parked pickup truck and fled with an envelope of cash. The suspects had reportedly followed the victim from an ATM to a nearby gas station. This case is just one example of the growing concern among law enforcement agencies. (Houston Police Department)

On Nov. 10, a 70-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint as he was visiting an ATM in a Walmart parking lot in Houston, according to FOX26. 

Police said the suspect forced the victim to withdraw cash from the machine, then shot the man after he handed over the money. The unnamed man was transported to a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition. 

A similar incident unfolded on April 29, when police say a Houston man was followed from a Wells Fargo Bank ATM to a car wash, where an unidentified male suspect brandished a firearm in an attempt to rob the victim, according to the Houston Police Department. The suspect then fled the area on foot, before entering a white SUV and driving off, police said. 

One day earlier, a man was followed from a Chase Bank in Houston, where surveillance video captured two suspects pulling up next to his vehicle on each side while the man entered a gas station convenience store, according to police. Video then captured the two suspects – who are believed to be the same individuals involved in the robbery on the following day – breaking both front windows of the victim’s vehicle before removing a cash envelope from the center console. 

Johnny Juwan Clark pleaded guilty earlier this year to the “jugging” robbery of an ATM technician in Houston, Texas, on July 3, 2024. Surveillance video captured Clark forcing the technician to the ground while two codefendants allegedly stole nearly $250,000 in cash from the machine, according to the Department of Justice. (The Department of Justice)

Earlier this year, a Houston man was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to the “jugging” robbery of an ATM technician, according to the Department of Justice.

According to prosecutors, 33-year-old Johnny Juwan Clark was out on supervised release for a separate robbery incident when he, along with three others, forced an ATM technician to the ground and forcibly removed hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from the machine in Midlothian, Texas.  

The group was working within a Houston-based criminal organization called the “Hiram Clarke Money Team” when Clark admitted following the technician to multiple stops, before approaching the victim from behind and forcing him to the ground in front of a Chase Bank ATM, according to the DOJ. 

Clark kept his fist to the back of the technician’s head as two alleged accomplices stole approximately $248,000 in cash from the machine, prosecutors said. The group then allegedly fled the scene and met at a nearby apartment complex, where the stolen money was loaded into the back of a Range Rover and driven back to Houston.

Johnny Juwan Clark pleaded guilty earlier this year to stealing nearly $250,000 from an ATM in Houston, Texas on July 3, 2024, according to the Department of Justice. (The Department of Justice)

Once the cash was transported, Clark and another codefendant used a portion of the money to purchase an S-Class Mercedes-Benz and jewelry, according to prosecutors. 

Clark’s attorney and the Houston Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

“It’s more of a want issue,” Stanton said. “And if the economy isn’t going in their favor, it’s more of a motivating factor – that, and the holidays.” 

According to Stanton, criminals often seek out victims that look as though they are not paying attention to their surroundings when in a public place.

“If you give the impression that you are prey, that you are lunch or dinner by way of giving up your money, it’s only a matter of time,” Stanton told Fox News Digital. “It’s not a matter of if, but when. Just because it’s never happened before, doesn’t mean that you’re untouchable – it means that you’re lucky.” 

Stanton urges shoppers to take precautionary measures to protect themselves, especially during the holiday season. 

He, along with the FBI, suggest shoppers should look around for anyone who may appear suspicious before approaching an ATM or exiting their vehicle in a parking lot.

Additionally, the FBI urges individuals to vary their banking habits and stay away from a traceable routine, while also concealing their cash when leaving an ATM or store. 

“Don’t make it easy for them,” Stanton said. “Take the money, put it deep in your pocket and go right to the car. Don’t be fanning the money, counting it out while you’re on the phone.” 

Stanton also implores shoppers who may find themselves in a dangerous situation to simply hand over the money if they are approached by a criminal. 

“If you’re in the middle of it, give it up,” he said. “Whether the money is from the ATM, that can be replaced – not your life. Toss the money and run the other way if you’re able to.”

As Americans are taking to the stores to get a jump start on their holiday shopping, Stanton urges buyers to keep personal safety at the forefront of their minds as they buy their gifts for the season. 

“While you’re doing your holiday shopping, so are the bad guys,” Stanton said. “While you’re looking for that deal or to buy that expensive item, they’re watching you and are like, ‘Oh, I like that person’s taste. That’s what their gift is, and it’s going to be my possession.’ You know, put that in your mind, and it makes you a little bit more aware.”