The Athens-Clarke County Police Department is warning shoppers to beware of a team of wallet thieves operating around the state. Police say two men stole a wallet out the purse of an Athens woman while she was shopping at a local grocery store. The men were then spotted at a nearby business where they used the woman’s credit cards to buy over four thousand dollars in gift cards. Detective Nathaniel Franco is investigating the crime.
“The same two males who used her stolen credit cards actually followed her around Publix and they waited until she stepped away from her cart momentarily and one of the males reached right into her purse and took her wallet,” Franco said.
Detective Franco says the same two men are believed to be responsible for a series of similar crimes in other Georgia cities including Augusta and Lawrenceville.
“The victim in Gwinnett County, Lawrenceville, she was a lady in her 60s. my victim is a lady in her 60s. It seems they are specifically targeting older females. I have no doubt that in the next few weeks I’m probably going get contacted from other jurisdictions.”
Franco says there are steps you can take to lessen your odds of becoming a victim.
“Try not to leave your purse unattended, at the very least, try to close the top, if it has a zipper, keep it closed. Maybe get an item and place it on top of it. Do as much as you can to make it hard for them.”
If you have any information about the subjects, contact Detective Franco at 762-400-7100 or Nathaniel.Franco@accgov.com.
For more information, visit the ACCPD Facebook page.