£3,000 Withdrawn After Redditch Distraction Theft

Police are appealing for information about a distraction theft in Redditch.

It happened between 11am and 11.45am on Monday 16^th January at Tesco, Coldfield Drive.

The victim, who is in her 50s, was putting her shopping in her car when she was approached by a woman who asked her for directions. The offender showed the victim a map, and while she was distracted her purse and two bank cards were stolen from her handbag, which was on the passenger seat.

She later discovered £3,000 had been stolen from her account via transactions and cash machine withdrawals in the Redditch area.

Police believe she had been targeted in the store and followed to the till, where the offenders watched her putting in her PIN number.

The woman asking for directions was aged about 25, small to medium build, with black bobbed hair, and wearing a hat and beige coat. She was of smart appearance and spoke with an Eastern European accent.

It is likely she would have had an accomplice.

The incident was almost identical to an earlier distraction theft at the same store on 23 November, although on that occasion the offender was a smartly dressed man, again with an Eastern European accent.

On that occasion, a debit card was also taken from a handbag left on the front seat of a car while the victim tried to help him with directions, and fraudulent withdrawals were made for a total of £350.

Offenders typically target women on their own, and asking for directions is one of the techniques they will use, often distracting them with a map.

Shoppers are being urged to be vigilant, and to be particularly alert for people acting suspiciously around them when entering PIN numbers.

Witnesses or anyone with information about the latest offence should contact PC Loftus on 0300 333 3000, quoting incident 258-s-170112, or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Issued: Thursday, 19 January 2012