74-year-old Ohio woman charged with bank robbery was victim of a scam, family says

A 74-year-old Ohio woman who was a victim of an online scam allegedly tried to remedy her financial issues by robbing a credit union, police said.

Ann Mayers was arrested in her home in Hamilton, Ohio after the Fairfield Township Police Department said she robbed an AurGroup Credit Union. The credit union's employees told police that a woman entered the bank on April 19 and "demanded money while displaying a handgun," police said in a Facebook post.

While at Mayers' home, police found the 2014 silver Hyundai Elantra she was allegedly driving during the robbery, according to the post. Mayers admitted to the robbery when police arrived at the house, so officers subsequently took her into custody, the department said.

Detectives with Fairfield Township police found a handgun in Mayers' vehicle, the Facebook post said.

Before the alleged robbery, Mayers had no criminal history, police said. She's been charged with aggravated robbery with a firearm and tampering with evidence, which are both felonies, according to the department.

It is unclear from Butler County court records if Mayers retained legal counsel for her criminal case.

Is Ann Mayers a scam victim?

Police learned Mayers may have been a scam victim after detectives spoke with her family who told them she was sending money to an "unidentified individual," Sgt. Brandon McCroskey said in an email to USA TODAY.

"In that aspect, some may see her as a 'victim.' Unfortunately, Ann chose to victimize several other people in the bank by robbing it with a firearm as a remedy for her situation," McCroskey said.

If true, McCroskey called Mayers' situation "very sad and unfortunate." Regardless, Mayer "took the time to plan this robbery as evidence shows she removed her license plate from her car and tried to remove a bumper sticker," the sergeant said.

"She also reportedly spoke to family members about robbing banks in the days leading up to the robbery but the family did not take her comments seriously," according to McCroskey.

Mayers is currently being housed at the Butler County Jail, inmate records show. She'll remain at the jail until her initial court appearance, police said.