FBI Hopes Billboard Will Lead To 'Fake Beard Bandit'

LaShauna Sewell, News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY – The FBI is erecting billboards in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri to try to catch a bank robber the agency has dubbed as the "Fake Beard Bandit."

FBI agents say the man has robbed at least seven banks. They include an IBC Bank and two Bank of Oklahoma branches in Oklahoma City, and the First National Bank of Coweta in Coweta.

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The agency has put up eight digital billboards in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and six other cities in Missouri and Kansas.

Agents say the man typically enters the bank a few hours before robbing it. He doesn't wear a disguise, just sunglasses. The bandit then grabs a deposit slip or other bank paperwork and leaves.

Later in the day, the bandit returns to rob the bank. He wears a large-brim hat and a fake beard. The FBI says he uses a gun to intimidate bank employees and customers. He demands cash, orders everyone to lie on the floor, and runs out of the bank after grabbing the money.

In at least four of the robberies, the bandit has been seen driving away in a silver or gray Volkswagen vehicle, possibly a Jetta.

The FBI describes the "Fake Beard Bandit" as a white man in his 20s or 30s. He stands 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet tall and weighs 150 to 180 pounds.

Anyone with information regarding this robber should call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or their local FBI office.