What is teller theft of skimming primarily characterized by?

Teller theft of skimming is fundamentally characterized by the act of taking cash directly from the teller drawer. This form of theft typically involves a bank teller unlawfully removing cash that is intended for deposit or other banking transactions, thereby misappropriating funds that are under their direct custody.

In this scenario, the teller is exploiting their access to the cash drawer and manipulating the situation to benefit financially at the expense of the bank and its customers. This type of theft does not involve more complex schemes or technological manipulation; instead, it is a straightforward act of theft that occurs in person and usually does not require collusion with others or alterations to accounts or software systems.

The other options, while they involve different forms of fraud or deception, do not specifically pertain to the direct and immediate theft of cash typical of teller theft of skimming. For instance, altering customer accounts or manipulating software typically involves other methods of fraud that are more sophisticated and may not reflect the immediate nature of skimming as it pertains specifically to physical cash theft directly from the bank's resources.