Former bank employee accused of stealing $28,000 from elderly account holders

A former Mountain View bank employee is facing 29 counts of non-financial identity fraud and seven counts of theft of property after authorities say she unlawfully made cash withdrawals from seven elderly account holders.

Prosecutors allege that Susan E. Ross, 37, knowingly obtained the identifying information of seven people, ages 80 to 93, without their authorization while employed by Simmons Bank. Authorities say Ross then used this information to unlawfully make cash withdrawals from their accounts, entering into the accounts of the subjects on 29 different occasions.

Stone County Circuit Court documents say a bank investigation began in October 2022, when one of the victims contacted the bank about unauthorized withdrawals from their account. According to authorities, the bank then conducted the investigation, which revealed that Ross had allegedly conducted unauthorized cash withdrawals from multiple customer accounts.

The targeted accounts included one maintained in the name of a deceased person, and six others were held by individuals between the ages of 80 and 93. The accounts were “high balance accounts” held by elderly individuals who would not often check the account, the court information said.

Authorities allege that in 12 months, Ross took a total of $28,120 in cash withdrawals. The court documents also say Ross later replaced three small transactions, which she coded as “Teller Error” or “Teller Correction.” Prosecutors also said video footage shows that none of the victims were present when the transactions occurred.

The bank contacted all of the victims, and their accounts were made correct. The bank is seeking restitution for $28,120. Bond was set for Ross at $25,000.