Florida woman’s bank robbery prank falls flat

A woman attempted to rob a Wells Fargo bank in Spring Hill, Florida, Wednesday, but turns out it was all a joke.

According to ABC affiliate WFTS, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said Vanessa Ortega entered the financial institution with a bright blue object that vaguely resembled a firearm, thrust it into the air, and bellowed, “This is a robbery; give me all your money!”

She then allegedly made her way to the teller window and declared, “Just kidding!” before casually withdrawing funds from her own account and leaving.

Since Ortega frequented that Wells Fargo location, staff quickly identified her to detectives who had the added advantage of “previous law enforcement contacts” with her. She was arrested at a separate location where police were called to for a disturbance. 

The Hernando Sheriff’s Office said Ortega told deputies she entered the bank with a “nerf style” gun and admitted to yelling, “This is a robbery, give me all your money.” Ortega allegedly told deputies she was just joking about the robbery.

Ortega was arrested and faces two counts of attempted robbery with a weapon and given a $20,000 bond.