NATCHEZ — Natchez area Home Bank customers have reported more than 60 incidents of ATM fraud to the Natchez Police Department since Sunday.

Natchez Police Detective Jerry Ford said police are investigating the reports as the possible work of an organized crime ring.

Ford said the investigation is just beginning, but apparently banking information of some Home Bank customers was compromised, possibly through a local ATM machine.

ATMs in cities including Meridian, Pearl, Pelahatchie, Baton Rouge and Houston were used to withdraw money from the compromised accounts on Monday, stealing an average of $640 from each victim.

“The way they’re going from one city to another, we’re thinking it’s some kind of organized crime ring that’s doing this and just haven’t been able to confirm it,” Ford said.

Home Bank Vice President of Marketing Natalie Lemoine said the bank is actively working with NPD to reach a resolution.

The incidents are concentrated in Natchez, Lemoine said, and may even be traceable to one location, but she could not comment on which Natchez location may have been compromised.

Lemoine said the frauds were brought to the bank’s attention by its identity theft prevention program, which monitors the accounts, as well as by customers who had been diligent about monitoring their balances.

Customers at Home Bank are encouraged to monitor their accounts daily, Lemoine said, and report suspicious activity to both NPD and the bank.

Lemoine said stolen funds would be refunded to the victims.

Investigators at NPD are now contacting law enforcement in other cities to help them catch people making unauthorized ATM withdrawals, Ford said.

“Anyone that has had this type of activity, come in and make a report and we’ll be more than happy to look into it and see what we can do to catch them,” Ford said.

Ford recommends Home Bank customers go inside the bank to withdraw money instead of using ATMs until the case is solved.