Palm Coast, FL – The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is trying to find 2 women who distracted an elderly woman out of her credit cards and made nearly $5,000 in purchases with them.
FCSO released a security photo of the 2 women on Tuesday, one they say was taken on September 14th at the TJ Maxx store in Palm Coast. That photo is posted above this article.
FCSO spokeswoman Laura Williams says the 72-year-old victim was shopping at TJ Maxx when one of the suspects approached her in the store.
“A woman asked the victim to help her pick out pillows for her mother,” Williams stated. “The victim told deputies she left her purse and wallet in the cart out of her sight for several minutes while she talked with the woman.”
It wasn’t until the victim went to pay soon afterward that she found out her wallet – which included her driver’s license, checkbook, credit cards and cash – was gone, per Williams.
Detectives discovered that the cards were used for around $4,600 in purchases at a Target in Palm Coast and a Best Buy in Daytona Beach less than an hour after they were stolen.
Surveillance video has been provided from all 3 stores and detectives are going through it trying to find any clues, per Williams.
“Video from TJ Maxx shows both female suspects entering the store though each was wearing different clothes from when they appeared in the Target and Best Buy surveillance video,” Williams said.
One of the suspects is described as a Hispanic or Asian female with dark hair, wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and large aviator sunglasses.
The other suspect was wearing a brightly colored shirt which appeared to come from TJ Maxx, according to Williams.
FCSO thinks a Hispanic man wearing a dark baseball cap, dark shirt and blue jeans accompanied the women at some point and that all 3 of them got into a white minivan, possibly a Toyota Sienna or Dodge Caravan.
Anyone with information is asked to call FCSO’s Investigative Services Division at 386-586-4801 or Crime Stoppers at 888-277-8477 to remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a cash reward.
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.