The Pay Phone Bandit: How One Man Stole $1 Million From Coin Boxes

In the 1980s, James Clark, known as the “Pay Phone Bandit,” baffled authorities by stealing an estimated $1 million from pay phone coin boxes in 24 states. Disguised with a baseball cap, gold-rimmed glasses, and a ponytail, Clark used his machinist skills to pick the locks of pay phones, a process that took him about 15 minutes. 

Websites Mental Floss and Useless Information both covered the long-ago spree. 

Cracking Payphones: Simple Tools, Big Impact

Clark’s method was simple yet effective. He would pretend to be on a call while using tools of his own design to unlock the coin boxes. 

“He’s well-organized; he’s smart; and he’s not greedy,” said an Ohio Bell Telephone security officer during the spree. 

Clark targeted pay phones near interstates for quick getaways. 

The Pay Phone Bandit Investigation 

Authorities were initially unsure whether the thefts were the work of a single individual or an organized crime ring. Because the technique for breaching the boxes was so specific, law enforcement officers assumed it was not a skill easily passed to collaborators. 

The hunt included checking the records of small hotels and motels nearby boxes that had been hit. There, a registrant named James Bell became a common thread. The swap of surnames from Clark to Bell was theorized to be a jab at the Pacific Bell Telephone Company, the rightful owner of the stolen quarters.  

A major break in the case came in 1985, when an informant led investigators to Clark’s Buena Park, Calif., home. A search of his trailer revealed parts of a Bell lock, which he likely used for practice. 

Despite finding his center of operations, law enforcement offices could not nab Clark. 

Pay Phone Bandit’s Capture, Questioning, and Conviction 

Three years later, however, Clark was taken into custody. Cornered in his residence, he surrendered without incident. In the ensuring search, unique lockpicking tools were found in his apartment. 

Under questioning, Clark told law enforcement officers he was a former automotive transmission machinist. He further explained that he crafted his lock picking apparatus himself, using piano wire. 

Clark faced charges in multiple states, but his initial sentencing occurred in Ohio, where he pled guilty to grand theft and tampering with coin machines. He received a three-year prison sentence and reimbursed Ohio Bell $800. 

His attorney, Paul Potter, described him as “an American tinkerer.” 

Clark’s Demise 

James Clark died in 2012 at around 74. 

Reflecting on his life, a commenter in his obituary guestbook called him a “thinker and a doer.” 

The full account of the Pay Phone Bandit is at Mental Floss and Useless Information.