Police warn of distraction thefts trend

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This article was published 14/03/2022 (1344 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police are warning the public about a string of three recent, similar thefts seemingly targeting older women at retail stores.

The three incidents occurred March 11-14 at stores on Regent Avenue and McPhillips Street. However, Winnipeg Police Service Const. Claude Chancy stopped short of saying law enforcement is searching for the same suspects in all of the thefts.

“There’s no correlation as far as we know… it’s too early to tell,” he told reporters Monday. “It just happens that there was some similarities in as far as the victims that were involved.”

He noted it’s “very possible” further similar thefts have occurred recently that haven’t been reported to police.

In the first incident March 11, a woman in her 70s was approached by a man while shopping on Regent Avenue.

The woman was intentionally distracted, police said, and her wallet was taken from her shopping cart. Someone later accessed her bank account but the transaction was denied.

Also March 11, a woman in her 70s was approached by two men in the parking lot of a grocery store on McPhillips Street.

The pair distracted the woman by fictitiously claiming her vehicle was on fire. While she was checking, one of the suspects took her wallet, which had cash and a debit card. Later, an attempt was made to use her bank account, but was unsuccessful.

On Monday, a woman in her 60s was twice approached at a different McPhillips Street grocery store; first, inside the store, and later in the parking lot as she packed her groceries in a vehicle. The lone suspect distracted the victim and made off with her cellphone.

Chancy noted none of the women were injured. He said it’s important to note the suspects were persistent in attempts to distract the potential victims.

“When one of these suspects approach the victims, for example, they may approach at one occasion just to test the waters, and then may come back at a later time during the same time frame and re-engage… and engage in the theft at that point,” he said.

It’s important for people to be aware of their surroundings, particularly when approached by strangers, police added.

“Whenever you’re approached by somebody that’s striking up conversation, it’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Chancy said. “However, if somebody comes up to you asking… persistent questions in regard to something that’s completely irrelevant to you, that may be a warning sign that something might not be on the up and up.”

In that case, he said, those approached should end the conversation and get the attention of other people nearby.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera