Police are warning shoppers: Don’t leave your handbags unattended in shopping carts.
Police are warning shoppers: Don’t leave your handbags unattended in shopping carts.
Since February, police have received several reports of elderly female shoppers who had their purses taken from shopping carts at various stores in Hilo while the shoppers’ backs were turned momentarily.
One man, 25-year-old Bronson I.K. Lee of Hilo, was arrested March 22 in the parking lot of the Home Depot store on Makaala Street after allegedly stealing a purse from an 87-year-old woman at a nearby drugstore and using her credit card at two nearby businesses.
Police arrested Lee quickly after the theft was reported, and he was charged with five counts of theft, three counts of forgery, four counts of ID theft and four counts of fraudulent use of a credit card.
“He used the credit card from the purse,” Capt. Robert Wagner of the Hilo Criminal Investigation Division said Wednesday.
Lt. Greg Esteban warned there are thieves who operate in a similar manner.
“We discovered there are at least three similar types of cases in the last two months. They’re mostly in the big-box stores,” Esteban said Thursday. “We’re comparing the similarities, and it appears the suspects are targeting the elderly.”
The thefts are being actively investigated, he said.
Esteban said it only takes seconds for someone to snatch a bag out of a cart while the shopper is turned away to select an item from a shelf.
“We are advising women to keep their handbags on their person while out in public to avoid being a target of theft,” Esteban said. “Often, the theft of a handbag can lead to additional crimes, such as unauthorized use of a credit card and identity theft.”
Wagner said most thieves who steal purses from shopping carts are looking for a “non-confrontational kind of theft.”
“Hold on to your purse rather than put it in the shopping cart to begin with,” he said. “Don’t put it in your cart and then walk away, even for a second. Somebody else could steal it. And if you keep it on your person, then you don’t have to think about it. Not too many people will steal it that way, especially in the middle of a store, and that’s where this stuff is happening.”
Esteban said that for security reasons, purses should remain zipped during shopping, and shoppers shouldn’t open them until checkout.
“We have investigated cases where the suspect walked up to an open handbag, simply took out the wallet and left,” he said. “You should carry it on your person with the zippered enclosure closed. If you have to carry your purse in your cart, make sure it’s zipped up. Don’t carry more in your purse than you absolutely need. If you carry a credit card in your purse, just carry one credit card and your identification. And don’t carry any valuables in your handbag.”
Police encourage anyone who’s a victim of or witness to a purse snatching to report it immediately by calling the police non-emergency line at 935-3311.
“I think the bottom line is being more vigilant,” Esteban said. “Just be aware of your surroundings while you’re shopping.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.