The St. Albert RCMP are warning the public about a rise in distraction thefts that have been happening in the community over the last few months.
The RCMP say distraction thefts tend to target seniors, vulnerable persons or women shopping alone. Thieves target commercial locations like grocery stores, Walmart stores, malls and their parking lots.
The perpetrators tend to drive high-end vehicles, either registered to themselves with Ontario licence plates or newer model rental vehicles. They use different techniques when approaching victims, including selling fake gold or jewelry in a parking lot claiming it's real. The perpetrators will flag people down on busy roads, claiming they ran out of gas and would like to exchange gold for money they will use for gas.
Suspects will also shoulder surf by standing closely behind a person in a checkout line in order to see the person’s credit or debit card PIN, then distract the customer by dropping money on the ground and claiming it belongs to the victim. The suspects try to get the victim to open their wallet, and when they do, the suspects distract the victim through conversation and use sleight of hand tactics to steal the victim’s credit or debit cards.
The suspects have also approached victims and attempt to give them jewelry as a gift or offer it for sale at a reduced price, then place the fake gold jewelry on the victim while removing or switching out the victim’s own jewelry without their knowledge.
The RCMP say these incidents have been happening across Canada and are not just a local problem. The suspects seen on surveillance video in St. Albert are the same suspects law enforcement is seeking in Ontario.
"Citizens need to protect themselves from distraction thefts by being cautious and vigilant of their surroundings in stores and parking lots and individuals need to shield their PINs when making purchases or withdrawing money,” St. Albert RCMP Detachment Commander, Insp. Pam Robinson said.
If anyone has information regarding these suspects, they are asked to contact the St. Albert RCMP Detachment at 780-458-7700 or their local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the "P3 Tips" app available through the Apple App or Google Play.
