L’Auberge Baton Rouge Was Conduit for $100K Credit Union Fraud

• Woman accused of credit union fraud in Baton Rouge
• Investigators say casino accounts used to launder stolen funds
• Victims tricked with phishing texts and fake fraud calls
  

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A Baton Rouge, La. woman was arrested Wednesday, allegedly for bilking members of a local credit union out of $100,000 before washing the proceeds through the city’s L’Auberge Casino, The Advocate reports.

Ashana Webb, 27, is accused of sending text messages to members of Neighbors Federal Credit Union (Neighbors FCU), telling them their accounts had been debited for fictitious amounts, and asking them whether they recognized these transactions. When they said they didn’t, they received a call from someone claiming to be from the union’s fraud department.

Victims were then asked for logins to their accounts, which they were told could not be accessed for 48 hours while the “fraud team” performed checks.

When they checked their accounts later, they found they had been robbed, according to court documents.

Phishing on the Bayou

Neighbors FCU began to receive concerned calls from the victims on May 5, and investigators with the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office quickly traced the alleged fraud back to Webb.

According to court filings, the suspect opened two accounts at Neighbors FCU on May 2, using a false address and phone number. Security footage from the branch confirmed her identity by matching images of Webb with her driver’s license.

Court filings indicate that on May 3, one of Webb’s new credit union accounts suddenly received three separate deposits — $2,000, $3,000, and $5,000.

Authorities believe the scheme netted more than the amount attributed to Webb. Neighbors FCU has reported $158,440 in total losses across multiple accounts, which investigators say points to a team of fraudsters working in concert.

Webb is accused of personally taking $106,000 from a single compromised account.

Stiff Sentence Possible

She was arrested Wednesday on one count each of theft over $25,000, illegal transmission of monetary funds, and bank fraud. If convicted on all counts, Webb could face up to 40 years in prison and fines exceeding $250,000 under Louisiana law.

Neighbors FCU has been warning members about phishing texts and calls that impersonate the credit union. Its fraud page explicitly cautions about unexpected messages asking for credentials and says Neighbors FCU will never ask for passwords or PINs.