Thieves target purses hung on restaurant chairs, police say


7 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

OREM — Four credit cards were recently stolen from a woman’s purse at a restaurant without her even noticing, police said.

The woman was eating out with her family and had her purse slung over the back of the chair, according to Orem police Lt. Craig Martinez. The incident occurred Feb. 5.

“Everything appeared to be fine when she got there and when she left, but as she left she started getting phone calls from her credit card companies regarding some pretty hefty charges on her credit cards,” Martinez said. “She looked in her purse and her wallet was in there, but her credit cards were missing.”

Investigators said this is not an isolated incident. When Orem Police Department detectives began investigating, they found similar cases in West Jordan and Saratoga Springs.

The cases in all three jurisdictions have the same suspects, according to Martinez. Surveillance cameras captured images of two women who police believe are connected to the thefts. Investigators said they were seen driving a red or burgundy Nissan Murano.

The stolen credit cards are being used to purchase several thousand dollars' worth of prepaid visa cards and gift cards at local retailers, Martinez said.

Anyone with information about the identity of the women or the thefts can contact the Orem Police Department by calling 801-229-7070.

Contributing: Sam Penrod

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Natalie Crofts

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast