Stay alert! Police warn of men following people home from ATM in metro Atlanta counties

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Police in two counties are looking for a group of men following people home from the bank to steal from them.

Fatemeh Foroudastan told Channel 2′s Mike Petchenik her mother stopped by a Wells Fargo Branch on Windward Parkway last Thursday to withdraw some cash. When she headed home, she noticed someone following her.

“A car that looked exactly like mine was behind her,” she said. “Since I live in the area, she assumed that it was me and didn’t pay no mind.”

A surveillance image Alpharetta Police provided to Petchenik shows Foroudastan’s mother parked in the driveway with her doors open while a black SUV parked in the cul-de-sac in front of her house.

“The guy … ambushed her car, opened the door and was like rummaging around and she’s kind of shouting to him like, ‘Hey, hey, what are you doing?’” she said.

Foroudastan said the man took her mother’s purse and all the cash inside.

“She already has a heart condition. And so it just was not good. It did not make matters any better. You know, and so she was just thankful that, you know, she’d actually stepped out of the vehicle because, you know, in hindsight, she could have gone into the garage, and we don’t know what his intentions were. Like, it could have been violent. So on the whole we’re just thankful she’s OK,” she said.

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Police told Petchenik they believe the same crew broke into another car in Alpharetta and two more up in Forsyth County after those victims visited the bank.

“This is concerning for us. It’s a priority,” said Alpharetta Police Captain Jakai Braithwaite. “I would tell you to definitely, you know, try to be aware of your surroundings. And if you think something like that is happening, don’t go home, you know, continue to drive around.”

Braithwaite said if you suspect someone is following you, call 911 and report it.

“Yeah, you definitely want to turn your hyper vigilance on,” he said. “(If) something feels funny and the hair on the back of your neck is going up, you know, something probably is going on.”

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