ATM 'tap-in' fraud scheme on social media leads to woman's arrest: HCSO
TAMPA, Fla. - A woman faces a list of charges after Hillsborough County deputies say she organized a bank fraud scheme on social media, leading to the theft of thousands of dollars.
The backstory:
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the investigation into the so-called ATM "tap-in" scheme began on May 8, 2025, with a tip identifying Janetcilize Martinez, 24, as the organizer.
HCSO says Martinez was advertising "tap-in" services on social media. The sheriff's office describes it as "a type of fraud involving the use of legitimate debit cards from willing account holders to deposit fraudulent/counterfeit checks. The funds are immediately withdrawn at an ATM before the check returns as fraudulent."
"She was posting pictures of cash and she's asking users, 'Hey, if you have this bank account, hit me up, reach out, let's connect'," HCSO Public Information Officer Casey Minuto said.
Detectives say they found several public social media posts from Martinez soliciting participants, while also sharing images of withdrawal receipts for large amounts of money.
Mugshot of Janetcilize Martinez. Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
"She would connect with them, and they would give her their credit card information, their bank account information," Minuto said. "That way, she could access their account. She would then deposit a fraud check and then use their account information to immediately withdraw the cash from that account before the bank could notice that she deposited that fake check," Minuto said.
HCSO says a search warrant at Martinez's home on Tuesday, July 29, uncovered the following items:
- 117 credit cards with names other than her own
- Tools and accessories to produce counterfeit credit cards
- Multiple bank documents containing personal information
- $6,292 in cash
- 78 grams of marijuana
- Drug paraphernalia
- A semi-automatic handgun
Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
What they're saying:
"Theft is not a victimless crime. It affects real people and real businesses," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "This individual thought she could cash in on a criminal scheme, but now she will pay the price for her actions. If you choose to steal, know that we will catch you and hold you accountable."
Dig deeper:
Keith Ludwick, a retired FBI agent and the CEO and president of Stop Scamming Me, said he used to investigate a variety of fraud schemes with similar narratives.
"'I have a check," Ludwick said. "'I'll give you 10%'. That kind of scam that you see. And for a lot of people, if they're willing to help somebody out and then make a few bucks on the side, they'll do that."
Ludwick says this case in particular is an example of a bigger issue with fraud schemes being carried out through social media.
"Familiarity breeds this kind of complacency, so that people using social media, they tend to get numb and would just believe everything they see," Ludwick said.
An economist says fraud schemes like this are usually traceable.
"Ultimately, anyone will generate a paper trail," Michael Szanto, an economist, said. "The FBI, the Secret Service, local police, they will get you. The more amount of money, they will get you."
He says the cardholders aren't the only victims in cases like these.
"The banks are eating those costs," Ludwick said. "They're eating the non-sufficient fund fees. They're having to spend money on investigations. It really is millions, if not billions of dollars."
What's next:
Martinez faces the following charges:
- Possession of credit card making equipment
- Unlawful possession of personal identification of another (5 or more)
- Fraudulent use of personal information
- Possession of drug paraphernalia
- Possession of cannabis (more than 20 grams)
- Possession of cannabis with intent to sell, manufacture, or deliver
The sheriff's office is still investigating whether Martinez was acting alone.
"Seeing if the people she was working with, were they meeting up?" Minuto said. "Were they connecting on social media? Would she say, 'Hey, I'm going to do this, and we can split the profit later', or 'I'll pay you this much of the deposit of the money that I get from.'"
The Source: This story was written with information from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.