A bank robber pulled off the perfect heist last week when he convinced staff to willingly hand over more than $175,000 in cash without so much as raising his voice.

Posing as a G4S security guard, the smooth criminal approached a Santander bank in south London and told them he had come to pick up some money.

The clueless workers happily obliged, and after carrying the boxes of cash out to his vehicle the robber made a swift getaway - long before anyone had even begun to suspect what he was doing.

According to a report by The Sun, the crime was pulled off last week on July 5. An unidentified man in a security guard uniform, helmet, and visor walked into the Santander branch in Brixton, London, and flashed a fake ID to staff.

He then claimed he was there to collect six boxes of cash, each containing a whopping £25,000 ($29,700). It was only after the man had carried the boxes out to his van and failed to come back and sign for them that staff realized something was amiss.

A quick phone call with G4s confirmed their worst fears that no pickup had ever been scheduled, and the 'guard' was in fact an imposter who had stolen the boxes of cash.

"It’s being called the Noah’s Ark job — because the cash boxes went out two by two," a source told The Sun. They went on to say that the bank staff weren't entirely blameless because they should have clocked that his outfit was not the official G4S uniform.

"He was not actually in G4S uniform. Questions have to be asked," they said.

According to reports, police suspect that the criminal had the help of a getaway driver who was waiting around the corner, and helped him spirit the boxes of money away as fast as possible.

Meanwhile, despite the fact that the 'robbery' happened in broad daylight a full view of the main street, there have not yet been any arrests made in connection with the incident.

Featured Image Credit: Mark Waugh / Alamy

Usually, when people say that crime doesn't pay, they mean that a certain illegal act - whatever it may be - will end up coming back to bite the criminal. Most likely that they will end up in jail or having to pay a hefty fine. But in this case, it quite literally didn't "pay", because the criminal in question rejected the cash he had just stolen from an unsuspecting ATM-user.

Security footage captured the bizarre moment the thief robbed a woman at an ICBC ATM, before handing her back the cash in an apparent display of goodwill.

According to reports, the harrowing incident took place in Heyuan, Guangdong province in South China last month.

This is the moment a thief steals a woman's cash moments before handing it straight back to her:

[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/m9vcNrWJ-Q0L14jDU.mp4||m9vcNrWJ]]

The video, obtained by China Global Television Network, shows how the would-be thief approached his female victim brandishing a knife.

The mugger is then seen talking with the unaccompanied woman who, fearing for her life, hands the man all of her cash, reportedly worth 2,500 yuan ($370 US).

Not content with the amount he had been given, it is believed that the brazen robber then demanded more money.

He then has the terrified woman show him her bank balance, and that is evidently when his charitable side kicked in. Her bank balance was reportedly at zero, and so the man decides to return the cash.

Seeming unperturbed by his failed quest for stolen money, the man then walks off smiling. The unexpected gesture did not, however, mean that he had gotten away with the attempted mugging.

In fact, following the incident, the man was arrested by police and apparently told them that he had spent a huge amount on surgery and on his children's education.

He was planning to cover the costs through a single mugging which is why he returned the money when his victim's bank balance proved insufficient.

The incident is currently still under investigation.

A man from Florida has been arrested on robbery charges after he visited a bank and asked to take out one cent.

Michael Fleming, 41, has been accused of one count of robbery with no firearm or weapon, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident happened at a Chase Bank along US route 441 in Lady Lake, around 60 miles northwest of Orlando at just before 2PM on June 29, according to an arrest affidavit.

FOX5 Orlando reported that Fleming went up to the counter and passed a withdrawal slip to the bank teller for the total of one cent.

When the teller told Fleming he couldn't withdraw a penny, Fleming allegedly responded: "So you want me to say the other word?", according to police.

Fearing the situation could turn violent, the bank worker called police, who received a report about "an in-progress bank robbery" and arrived to find the defendant sitting down and waiting for them.

Law&Crime reports that Sheriff's deputies arrested the man without incident, before transporting him to the Sheriff's office for a recorded interview, where he initialed and circled several areas on a “pre-printed Miranda Warnings” form regarding the waiver of his constitutional rights.

Fleming then shared his version of events, which provided more information, with the affidavit reading: "The defendant advised he drove to the Citizens First Bank, but it was closed, so he then drove a few parking lots over to the Chase Bank.

"The defendant described walking into the bank, filled out a withdrawal slip for $00.01, provided it to the bank teller who advised we can’t give you one cent, at which time the defendant advised ‘So you want me to say the other word?’, at which time the bank teller had some kind of realization of what was taking place, and stepped away from the counter."

Fleming then allegedly told investigators: "Most of the time, the way tellers are trained if someone comes in to rob you, you give them the money and let them go."

The affidavit continued: "The defendant advised he was expecting the bank teller to give him the $00.01, at which time he would then sit in the chair and wait for law enforcement.

"The defendant advised after not receiving anything from the teller, he just waited in the lobby for law enforcement to arrive. The defendant advised his goal was to be arrested."

It went on to note that no money was obtained during the robbery attempt and that Fleming has no account with Chase, nor any prior convictions for robbery.

Fleming was originally detained on no bond, but according to the Sumter County court records, further updates to the case have come to light since his arrest, including him qualifying as indigent and being awarded a court-appointed attorney.

According to jail records, his bond has now been set at $5,000.

Featured image credit: Francis Dean / Getty Images

Gripping surveillance footage released by the Paducah Police Department shows a man robbing a hotel, before being scared away when the clerk stealthily grabs his gun and points it at him.

The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Cory T. Phillips, was arrested by the police force in Paducah, Kentucky, on Tuesday during a routine traffic stop, KFVS reports.

The department has since posted surveillance footage from the hotel - which shows Phillips robbing the Country Inn and Suites on McBride Lane - to its Facebook page.

He can be seen wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt, a pair of jeans, white shoes, a white shirt around his face and a University of Alabama "sock hat" on his head.

This is the bizarre moment the robber is outwitted by a particularly brave hotel clerk:

[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/qHyVyA9e-Q0L14jDU.mp4||qHyVyA9e]]

In the video, captured on Monday night, the robber enters the hotel brandishing a gun and has the clerk hand over money by placing it onto the front desk.

Before she takes out the money, Phillips tries to climb over the desk, but without any hesitation, the clerk pushes him back over to the other side. She then throws the money onto the desk. He then lets go of his gun, leaving it on the countertop so that he can transfer the cash into a plastic bag.

It's at this precise moment that the quick-thinking clerk grabs the gun and points it at the robber, who immediately sprints out the door.

However, that certainly isn't the end to an already bizarre incident - the robber soon returns and again attempts to climb over the desk - in what we imagine was an attempt to retrieve his handgun from the clerk.

Fortunately, the brave lady refuses to back down and continues pointing the gun at him, and yet again, Phillips runs for the hills.

Phillips has since been arrested on charges of first-degree robbery and receiving stolen property (firearm).