Distraction thefts are on the rise across our area.
The most recent incident in Wellington – where a woman’s wallet was snatched from her purse at a supermarket.
The woman was shopping at Trader Joe’s on November 20th when two women grabbed her wallet - and she didn’t even know it happened.
“No I did not. Didn’t know anything whatsoever," said Violet Hilton, the victim of this theft.
Two women - who are still on the run - are accused of taking Hilton’s wallet late last month.
Hilton, who opted against showing her face on camera, discovered that it was gone when she went to pay for her groceries - and believes she knows how her wallet was taken.
“This girl asked me for, you know, to show, if I knew where something was, I didn’t even hear, but I realized from her gesture that’s what she was asking. I think I was distracted," she recalled. "When I got to the cashier to pay, I discovered my wallet was not in my bag.”
She got alerts from her bank that the thieves spent thousands of dollars in the Mall at Wellington Green with her credit cards within an hour.
The worst part? It’s not the first time it’s happened to her.
“Very traumatic. I’ve been robbed three times in almost similar fashion," she stated. "A couple of years ago when I lived in Pembroke Pines, and also I was robbed in Toronto and took my wallet from my handbag.”
Handbags - according to Martin County Sheriff William Snyder - are exactly what these deceptive thieves look for.
“The biggest thing we see this time of year, especially, are purses. They are so attractive to these thieves," he explained. "You go to Publix, you go to Winn-Dixie and you set your purse down and you turn just for one second and the next thing you know, somebody’s reached in.”
Hilton is warning others to stay focused.
“I saw someone with her bag just the way I had it in the cart and I just said to her ‘you know what, you’d better be careful because I was robbed a few days ago just shopping the way you’re shopping,' and I told her what happened to me also, and she thanked me,” Hilton shared.
And the sheriff offered advice to shoppers ahead of the holidays.
“If you don’t have to carry a purse, don’t. If you can just take a credit card, a little bit of cash, whatever it is you’re going to use, and just keep it maybe in your pocket or even in your hand - but that purse is the magnet for these thieves," Sheriff Snyder advised.
Anyone with information regarding this incident at Trader Joe's is asked to contact crime stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS (8477).