Collier County man caught in $150K bank fraud at Fifth Third Bank

Collier County deputies arrested a man accused of impersonating another individual and making fraudulent bank transactions exceeding $150,000 at a local bank.

Eugene Klayman used a fake driver’s license to conduct multiple transactions at the Fifth Third Bank on Santa Barbara Boulevard.

• RELATED: 2 men accused of stealing over 176 gift cards as part of $15,000 fraud scheme

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office reported that bank employees grew suspicious of Klayman after noticing several large transactions.

They contacted the real account holder, who confirmed his identity had been stolen and that he was not in Florida but in Georgia.

Deputies said Klayman had been withdrawing money from an account that was not his own.

“The branch manager thought something seemed off, and they were able to make contact with the actual account holder, who was able to confirm that he was not in Florida, he’s in Georgia, and that he’s not making any of these transactions,” said Deputy Jacob Parmenter of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.

Klayman attempted to make another withdrawal on Tuesday, but this time, bank employees notified the authorities. Deputies were waiting when Klayman arrived for his appointment.

“The bank did a fantastic job. They were vigilant. And I mean, the big credit goes to them,” said Parmenter.

Deputies charged Klayman with grand theft over $100,000 and identity theft. He remains in the Collier County Jail.

Parmenter advised residents to “monitor your accounts, monitor your credit, make sure you don’t see any suspicious activity on your accounts, and if you do, call your bank’s fraud department, notify them, change your pins, change your passwords.”

Following the incident, Fifth Third Bank’s vice president of corporate and financial public relations, Derek Cuculich, released a statement:

At Fifth Third, we take the security of customer accounts and confidential information very seriously. Fraud and scams are unfortunately escalating and becoming increasingly sophisticated and convincing. To report fraud or suspicious activity with your Fifth Third account, please call us at 1-800-972-3030. All Fifth Third customers also have access to free security protections that can be accessed in the SmartShield dashboard in our mobile app.

We are thankful to our bankers at the Collier County branch for going above and beyond to protect our customers. Their actions today are a perfect example of the power of the great relationships we hope to build with all our customers and the communities we serve.