Police Warning: Don’t Leave Wallets/Purses Unattended
Recently, the North Bay Police Service was notified on two occasions, about the theft of wallets from local grocery stores, while the victims were shopping.
On March 7th, 2024, at around 11:30 am, a local resident was shopping at a grocery store on Cassells Street, in North Bay, and left her purse unattended in her shopping cart for a few minutes. Upon returning to her cart, she noticed her purse was wide open, so she closed it. When the victim attended the check-out area, she realized her wallet had been stolen from her purse. The victim notified her bank to cancel her cards, and was informed that her credit card had been tapped for approximately $300 in purchases at nearby businesses. Cash had also been stolen from her purse during the incident.
Also on March 7th, at around 10:00 am, a local resident was shopping at a McKeown Avenue grocery store, when her wallet was removed from her purse. Her cards were also used at another local establishment.
It appears, in both cases, that there are two suspects involved, and one may be distracting the victim, as the other steals their wallet. Police are continuing to investigate both incidents.
Police are warning the public about leaving purses or wallets unattended anywhere, for any length of time. It only take a few seconds for a thief to steal a purse or wallet from a shopping cart, an unlocked vehicle, or anywhere else where they are easily accessible.
If you have information on these, or any other crimes, please call the North Bay Police Service at 705-497-5555, and press 9 to speak to an officer, or, if you wish to remain anonymous, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.nearnorthcrimestoppers.com