Calgary police warn of shopping thefts

The Calgary Police Service (CPS) is asking people to be cautious while shopping in stores after 12 distraction thefts were reported between late January and early February.

The thefts have some similarities, and police believe they are done by two to four suspects working work hand in hand.

Officers say the suspects target vulnerable people, including seniors through their credit or debit cards at retail stores. Police say one memorizes the card’s PIN number by standing behind the victim and watching them enter the code at checkout, while the others steal the cards by distracting the victims either in the parking lot or as they exit the store.

Police say the victims came forward after noticing their cards were missing, and discovering “fraudulent” transactions on their cards.

CPS says an 80-year-old woman named Diane was shopping at a retail store on Jan. 31 at around 3:45 p.m., when she was approached by someone at the exit door offering to help walk her to the car, as the road was icy. The man walked Diane to the parking lot and helped her push her cart, where she had her purse open.

Officers add the man also helped her put the shopping bags in the trunk of her car, before walking around the car and telling her she had “a loose tire valve cap.” And as the woman attempted to tighten the valve cap, he disappeared.

Police say they believe the man stole the credit and the debit card from the purse while she was distracted by tightening the valve cap.

However, Diane didn’t report the incident until after two days on Feb. 2, when she discovered her cards had been used to withdraw cash and make purchases, totaling more than $21,000.

“Seniors are common targets for fraudsters as they take advantage of their good nature and believe that elderly people have plenty of money in the bank,” said Const. Shaun Vandal of the CPS. “We are asking Calgarians to be mindful of this scam and their surroundings while shopping. If you encounter someone who is in extremely close proximity to you, proceed to a safe place and report the incident to store staff or police.”

An investigation into the thefts is ongoing.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police at 403-266-1234, or leave a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.