A growing number of ATM thefts across the Greater Toronto Area are involving an unlikely tool: excavators. Over the past year, at least six bank branches in Scarborough, Brampton, Whitby, Etobicoke and other communities have been smashed open by heavy construction machinery in attempts to rip ATMs from walls. The method is destructive, dangerous — and surprisingly easy for thieves to pull off.
For Scarborough business owner Amy Wang, the trend has been devastating. In June, thieves used an excavator to break into the Scotiabank branch beside her convenience store, crushing the roof of her shop and collapsing the storefront. Overnight, the family-run Rouge Convenience — built through years of long workdays — was reduced to rubble. Police say the suspects failed to steal any cash, but damage to the plaza exceeded $600,000. Months later, Wang’s store is still being rebuilt, and she now wakes up multiple times a night to check her security cameras. “The sense of safety is just no longer there,” she said.
Police say these excavator-style break-ins appear to involve the same network of suspects striking multiple locations across the GTA. While using heavy machinery to smash through a bank is still rare, Peel police spokesperson Const. Tyler Bell-Morena says there has been a broader increase in thieves using vehicles — including construction machines — to ram their way into businesses such as jewelry stores. Even the most secure storefronts, he says, have physical limits.
Experts say the method is less sophisticated than it looks. Tim Allan, who teaches heavy equipment at Centennial College, explains that most excavators can be started with a single universal master key — the same one used across many machines and easily purchased online. Once the engine is running, operating the controls is straightforward, similar to mastering an arcade claw machine. Thieves typically locate an unattended excavator at a construction site, start it, and look for the nearest bank. They aren’t fleeing in the machine — most travel no faster than 13 km/h — but they don’t need to. The goal is simply to smash, grab and escape in another vehicle.
Although construction companies can install immobilizers or security systems, Allan says many avoid doing so because unique keys or codes for large fleets are difficult to manage. CBC contacted several companies whose excavators were used in recent crimes, but none responded.
These attacks leave local communities feeling the fallout long after the thieves are gone. Bank branches face lengthy repairs. Small businesses like Wang’s lose months of income. Customers suddenly find themselves without local banking access. In a statement, the Canadian Bankers Association called the excavator incidents “an attack on the community,” and said financial institutions are working closely with police to strengthen security.
Despite the destruction, no arrests have been made in any of the recent excavator-related thefts. With thieves exploiting an easily accessible tool and construction equipment often left unsecured overnight, police and security experts warn the trend may continue — unless companies begin adding stronger protections and construction machinery becomes harder to misuse.
