Police are looking for two thieves who were caught on camera distracting shoppers and taking off with their wallets.
The thieves then used credit cards that were taken from the stolen wallets to purchase merchandise at several stores at South Florida malls.
Looking away from your purse for just a few moments could set you up to be the next victim of identity theft.
One woman was victimized while mulling over seafood items at a Publix in Aventura. In the video a woman is seen coming up to the victim and distracting her, while her partner grabs her wallet and takes off.
"It was quick and a tag team assault on my property and my life," the victim said.
The same tricky move was used on a woman while she shopped at a Publix in Pinecrest in April.
"She immediately asked me another question so I politely replied and he reached in my purse and took out my wallet, put it under a loaf of bread and walked out, walked away," the victim recalled.
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Unfortunately for this woman, the couple quickly racked up more than $5,000 in charges at retail stores before she could cancel the cards.
Aventura police say the crime is now expanding to include more thieves.
"We also believe they're using other people to help them with using the stolen cards," said Aventura Sgt. Chris Goranitis. "There's a white female that we haven't been able to ID yet, who was in possession of five stolen cards taken from our victim."
Surveillance video in Whole Foods shows a failed attempt to steal a wallet. The would-be victim turns around fast enough toward her purse, scaring off the thief at the last moment.
The victim we spoke to wishes she was that lucky, "A lot was in that wallet, not just the cards and ID, it was my favorite wallet for many years and it had mementos in it and they're all gone too," the victim said.
Investigators say they know of five victims, but believe there are probably more out there. If you think this has happened to you, you're urged to call your local police department.
And, if you know anything about the thieves, call Aventura Police at 305-466-8989 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
