Identity Thieves Preying on Elderly Shoppers; Police Seek IDs of Women

An identity-theft ring has been targeting elderly women as they shopped for groceries, sometimes using La Mesa banks to draw cash from their victims’ accounts, authorities say. About $10,000 has been stolen through fraud.

Surveillance photos (attached) from Chase Bank on Spring Street in La Mesa show two black suspects, said police Lt. Dan Willis, and help is being asked in identifying them.

The first known victim, a 65-year-old San Diego resident, was shopping at Windmill Farms in Del Cerro when she was approached by a heavyset black woman with medium-length graying hair and reading glasses, La Mesa police said.

“The suspect distracted the victim with questions and stole the victim’s wallet from her purse,” police said in a news release.  “Within two hours, the suspect had created a false California ID card in the victim’s name and, using the victim’s stolen credit cards, made a $2,000 cash advance at Chase Bank in La Mesa.  Additional fraudulent purchases were made at Office Depot in La Mesa for approximately $500.”

On July 6, a heavyset, middle-aged black woman approached an 85-year-old female shopper at the Ralphs on Grossmont Boulevard in La Mesa.  One woman distracted the victim with questions, while a second—also a middle-aged black woman—stole the victim’s wallet from her purse.

“In the hours following the theft, the suspects used the victim’s stolen credit cards to make cash advances totaling $3,000 at the Citibank in La Mesa and fraudulent purchases of about $500 at the Macy’s in La Mesa,” police said. 

A third incident occurred July 8 at the Vons in Carlsbad.

The ring approached a 63-year-old woman shopping in the store, police said.

“When her back was turned, the thieves stole her wallet from her purse, which was in her shopping cart.  In less than an hour, the thieves used the victim’s stolen credit cards to make cash advances totaling $3,500 at the U.S. Bank and Chase Bank in San Marcos.”

Anyone with any information on the ring is asked to call the La Mesa Police Department at 619-667-1400 or the Crime Stoppers’ anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477; you can also email or text anonymously at sdcrimestoppers.com.  Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to a felony arrest.