What do carp, crappie, bluegill, trout, and catfish all have in common? Hint: It's not a killer fishing spot. These fish were all the victims of the prankster known as "The Fish Bandit" on Instagram, or fish_bandit84. The bandit's social page showcased videos of fish taped to Utah ATM machines, earning the person behind it 104,000 followers in four short months.
After a lengthy investigation, authorities discovered it was a 17-year old young man and sent him to the 4th District Juvenile Court, where he was charged with two misdemeanor counts of property damage.
The boy's fishy antics involved using duct tape to secure fish to the screens of multiple ATMs. Provo's Bonnville Bank was the first to report a fish tapped to their ATM to the police on September 26, leading detectives to investigate. With the investigation underway, more fish popped up all over Utah from August 2023 to December 2023. Two videos even showed fish in Japan and Germany. The Fish Bandit's hijinks didn't stop at ATMs. In several instances, he appears to have taped fish to the back of bathroom doors in Bass Pro Shops; a few fish were even taped to a police car.
The bizarre pranks became even more unhinged. In a few posts, the Fish Bandit even asked followers which fish he should try next, while upping the ante by taping multiple fish to an ATM screen at once. A few videos show cigarettes in the mouth of the fish; in one, the fish is still moving, actively struggling against the tape.
While authorities may have only referred the Fish Bandit on two misdemeanor counts, according to KSL5, they believe he is responsible for over a dozen incidents. However, officers feel like the kid was just making a joke and the damages were minimal. They also do not know where the fish came from—so he may or may not end up with additional charges in accordance with the state's wanton waste laws.
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