Feb. 29, 2012 - Suspects spend thousands after stealing wallet

Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012
Contact: Kim Kobel, Boulder Police, 303-441-3370

Suspects spend thousands after stealing wallet

 Police in Boulder are looking for one male and two female suspects who investigators believe are involved in a wallet theft that took place in Whole Foods Market, located at 2905 Pearl St., on Feb. 9.

A female victim was shopping in the store at 10:30 a.m. and left her purse unattended in her cart while she shopped. She realized her wallet was missing from her purse when she tried to check out and pay for her items around 11:25 a.m.

The victim began calling her credit card companies to cancel her cards, but they had already been used for transactions at various stores in Boulder. Thousands of dollars worth of mostly computer items and gift cards were charged to the credit cards before the victim could cancel them.

Here are descriptions of the suspects:

Female #1:

·         Hispanic

·         5’5” to 5’6” tall

·         130 pounds

·         Long black, waist-level hair

·         Dark brown eyes

·         Wearing black clothes and high-heeled black boots

·         Described by clerk as “stylish”

Female #2:

·         Hispanic

·         Approximately 40 years old

·         5’3” to 5’4” tall

·         140 pounds

·         Black hair

·         Light brown eyes

·         Wearing a tan beanie-style cap, a tan puffy jacket & blue jeans

Male:

·         Hispanic

·         Wearing a brown and black leather jacket

·         No further information is available, but photo is below:

 The case number is 12-1836.

The Boulder Police Department would like to offer some tips for safe shopping:

1.     Keep your purse in your hands or on your shoulder; never leave it unattended because criminals know your attention will be divided while shopping.

2.     Keep your cell phone in your pocket.

3.     Pre-program phone numbers for your banks and all your credit card companies into your phone.

4.     Alert store security AND call law enforcement immediately if you discover you have been a victim of a theft.

5.     Call each financial institution immediately after becoming aware of the theft. Criminals know they have a small window of opportunity to use your credit cards before they are flagged as stolen.

6.     Authorize financial institutions to relase any illegal transaction details to law enforcement for the investigation.

7.     Don’t keep your Social Security card or any password information in your wallet.

Police are asking the public for help in identifying the suspect in the attached photo. The lead investigator in this case is Detective Scott Morris, and he can be reached at 303-441-3482. Those who have information but wish to remain anonymous may contact the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimeshurt.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers.

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Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 January 2013 09:01