I have read a lot of stories about payday loan stores being robbed. A striking majority follow exactly the same plot: One or two men with a gun go into payday loan store, demand money, flee with an undisclosed amount of cash, police seek suspects.

Because of changing and improving technology in payday loan store security systems, more suspects are being caught nowadays. But for the most part, the rest of the story remains the same. I’ve been reading every payday loan store robbery story that comes across my desk since mid-December, and this is the first time I’ve read a story about a woman robbing a payday loan store.

A man’s game

Though the police reported that the person who walked into a Checkline store in Ogden, Utah, and demanded cash was a woman, the robber still dressed as a man. The woman, who approached the Checkline employee from behind as she was opening the store held a black handgun and demanded money from the safe.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

The clerk handed over the money in a plastic bag the robber gave her. The woman left and a witness told police she met a man waiting outside the shop. The pair crossed 21st Street and got into a large, dark-blue sedan, possibly a Lincoln Continental. They drove east on 2100 South, then turned back westbound. The woman is described as being in her mid-20s, average height, stocky, wearing a brown ball cap and dark-blue hooded sweatshirt.

The Salt Lake Tribune also says the woman had a mustache painted on her face, so the robber still wanted to appear as a man, apparently.

The old switcheroo

I have read a couple of different payday loan store robbery stories that involve a woman who waited outside for a male robber. In one story, a couple apparently even brought their baby along for the robbery. But I’ve never come across a story in which the woman wielded the gun and went into the store while a man waited outside.

This also is the first time I’ve read about a payday loan store robbery in Utah. I’ve read about several in Washington, California, Indiana, Illinois and Kansas as well as a few southern states such as Texas and Tennessee. Usually when I read about payday loan store news from Utah it’s about legislation and zoning laws.

Doubtful social equality news

I usually like news that shows women are capable of the same things men are, but I’m somehow not very excited to read that women, too, can rob payday loan stores. I can understand why the woman painted her face and didn’t want people to know she was a woman while she was holding a gun to a lone employee’s head.

It always makes me sad when I read about people who are willing to commit or threaten violence just to get a little money. The fact that this time it was a woman with the gun honestly doesn’t make me feel worse; I still have the same level of disgust and shame about the way our money-centric, selfish culture pushes people into threatening others for monetary gain.

Very rarely do I read about a payday loan store robbery in which someone actually gets arrested. In fact, of the 20 or so robberies I’ve reported on this year, there have been four arrests, if I am remembering correctly.

So I was surprised today to read this report by Meghann Cunniff in a Spokane, Wash., newspaper.

From The Spokesman-Review:

Two men have been arrested in connection with a robbery at a payday loan store in north Spokane.

The men, who have not been identified, were found after Spokane police and Spokane County sheriff’s deputies responded to Check Into Cash at 555 E. Francis Ave. about 4:15 p.m. on a report of an armed man robbing the store.

They found a suspect a few blocks away near East Lyons Avenue and North Standard Street, said Officer Tim Moses, but the man ran away.

Police set up a perimeter and called in a K9 unit, leading to the men’s arrests.

The stolen cash was recovered, along with the gun used in the robbery, police said.

Previous incidents

Spokane is no stranger to payday loan store robberies. Earlier this year, a couple of oxycontin thieves robbed some payday loan stores along the way while they were at it. The city in Eastern Washington is also no stranger to catching robbers.

Report from Feb. 9:

Two people accused of robbing multiple payday loan stores and pharmacies in Spokane, Wash., are now in police custody.  Zachary Tyler Allen, 19, and Kimberly Ann Norman, 20, were arrested Feb. 8 after a month long crime spree.

Police believe the two are responsible for two robberies at the same pharmacy Jan. 8 and Jan. 11. The two are also accused in several payday loan store robberies in Spokane. The most recent robbery was another pharmacy that was hit Feb. 5.

Details on payday loan store robberies

The first Spokane payday loan store robbery took place Jan. 14, when the robber held up a Check and Go store. Jan. 20 a Check Into Cash location was robbed. The same Check into Cash location was robbed yet again Jan. 29 within hours of another robbery at another Check into Cash store. After the Check Into Cash stores beefed up security, employees and police believe the same man attempted another robbery at the same store he had already robbed twice.

Extra security helps

The Check into Cash location in Spokane was able to thwart an attempted robbery by increasing security measures. The stores began keeping their doors locked and requiring customers to show ID before entering the store. One night a man wearing a black ski mask attempted to enter the building, but he ran away after he realized the building was locked.

Other payday loan store should consider this policy before it’s too late and they get robbed, too. Another important security measure is video surveillance cameras. Video surveillance is often very helpful in identifying suspects. Also, posted signs informing people that there are cameras on the premises can deter criminals, as can the appearance of the cameras themselves.

Be on the lookout

No matter where your payday loan store is, business owners, employees and customers need to be prepared in case their store is targeted. Payday loan stores must keep large amounts of cash on hand, which makes them frequent targets for thieves. At the very least, employees at a payday loan store or any type of business that keeps a lot of cash should never be left alone.

Kansas seems to be a pretty popular place for payday loan store robberies. However, the workers at payday loan stores are getting wise. Check out this story from The Wichita Eagle:

WICHITA — Two men attempted to rob a payday loan business Monday, but were foiled when an employee was able to lock the doors and call the police.

The two men approached the Ace Cash Express at 801 S. Woodlawn around 8:40 a.m. and attempted to force an employee into the building, police said.

One of the men was armed, but the woman was able to lock the men out and call police.

The suspects then fled. There were no injuries or losses reported.

Protecting businesses

In this case, a simple door lock and a willful employee were all it took to stop the robbers and protect the cash, not to mention the store employees. However, in most cases technology of a bit higher caliber helps out a lot.

In various reports I’ve written about payday loan store robberies, surveillance cameras and silent alarms have helped catch criminals. Payday loan store owners should make safety their No. 1 priority.

A liquid asset

Banks are well-know for having top-of-the line security systems. Banks have huge amounts of cash on hand, and thus they expect to get robbed. So they’ve done everything they can to protect their assets and workers.

Though payday loan stores don’t have nearly as much cash as banks, they are often targeted for the same reason as banks. Any business that deals in handing out cash has to have  a lot of it lying around. Payday loan stores get target because of their cash, but many don’t protect their cash very well. Criminals often get away with the money and are never found.

Perhaps payday loan store should start to think like banks, realizing that they could, and probably will be robbed. Perhaps that will help payday loan store owners develop better strategies for protecting their employees, business and cash.

Payday loan stores are common targets for robberies in the United States. Businesses that give out cash advances and payday loans are becoming targets more frequently as criminals are becoming wise to the fact that they keep large amounts of cash on hand.

The latest report of a payday loan store robbery comes out of Jackson, Mississippi. MLive.com reports all the details of the recent robbery:

A man carrying a handgun robbed Allied Cash Advance, 1194 N. West Ave., around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The Jackson Police Department said the man fled the store in an unknown direction with an undisclosed amount of money.

Police attempted to set up a perimeter and to track the suspect with the K-9 unit, but were unsuccessful.
No employees of the payday loan business were injured.
The suspect is described as white, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, 180 pounds and wearing a dark blue windbreaker jacket, black shirt, black pants and black baseball hat.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Jackson police at 788-4100 or the TIP line at 787-0212.

More payday loan store robberies

June has been a  popular month for payday loan store robberies. June 11 a payday loan store in South Carolina was the target. Two men walked into a Quick Cash Advance in Longs that day and robbed it at gunpoint, according to Horry County Police.

The store at 3373 Hwy. 9 was hit shortly before 2 p.m. on June 11. Witnesses said two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, entered the store and demanded money from the clerk. The suspects fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. That’s usually how payday loan store robberies go. However, just a few days before the South Carolina robbery, a robbery in California took an unusual turn.

Lake Forest, California

That’s where this whole episode went down: Lake Forest in Orange County, California, at a store called PayDay Loan. The robber, in traditional robber style, entered the building, pointed the gun and demanded the money.

Only the store had a silent alarm system, and the cops were on their way. This is where the story gets interesting.

Wrong place, wrong time

The police arrived just as the robber was leaving, and rather than surrender to the inevitable, he decided to involve an innocent bystander. He grabbed a 61-year-old male customer, forced him into his SUV at gunpoint and sped off with the man and the cash.

Police followed, and the robber proceeded to lead the police on a high-speed chase that at times reached speeds of 120 mph. Schools were put on lockdown, as police and suspects sped from on the freeway and around Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel. The chase lasted about three miles.

Under arrest

Of course, the chase had to end some time. When it did, the police freed the unharmed hostage and arrested the suspect. They recovered the cash, they took the gun and they continued with the business of keeping Orange County safe.

The moral of this story is that payday loan stores and any other frequently targeted establishment should definitely invest in one of those silent alarm systems. Payday loan stores often get targeted by robbers because they keep a large amount of cash on hand. Anything you can do to get police officers on the scene before the robber is off the scene will help deter future criminals from endangering employees and customers again.