Police warning Target shoppers to watch wallets

Anti-crime cops at the 109th Precinct aren’t mincing words when it comes to a recent rash of wallet thefts in a local parking lot:
Ladies, there’s a Target in the shopping center on 20th Avenue in College Point, and it’s you.
Well-meaning shoppers are getting ripped-off in the parking lot, as they try to load their vehicle. The scam involves pairs of crooks, who follow (usually women) shoppers to wherever they are parked.
One crook distracts the shopper, by offering to help with the bags, or by asking directions, while the other snatches the wallet out of the victim’s handbag, which is often left on the front seat.
According to 109th Precinct Crime Prevention Officer O’Donnell, the area around the Target store at the shopping center is a favorite hunting ground for these predators.
“We had three reports last weekend” he said. “They go right back into the store and use the stolen credit cards to buy gift cards, so the theft is done before the victim even knows they’ve been victimized.”
In the past, crooks have also flattened the tires of the “mark’s” vehicle as a major distraction. There have also been reports of vehicles being broken into, most recently to steal some hand tools.
“Don’t leave valuables in your car,” O’Donnell advises. “Also, the suction cups used to mount GPS devices are like a written invitation to thieves, because they know the unit is under the seat or in the glove box,” he suggests.
Cops from the 109th will be in the shopping center on 20th Avenue on Saturday, September 8, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. to hand out crime prevention literature, and “VIN etch,” or engrave the vehicle’s identification number on valuables.
“We’re going to do whatever we can to bring these guys under control.” He said, “But we need people to help us by helping themselves.”