Police are searching for three theft suspects targeting victims in Orange County.
The trio typically distracts their victims with a ruse to steal their debit cards without suspicion, according to the Tustin Police Department.
In a recent Tustin theft, police said the suspects pretended to look for money they had dropped and convinced a victim to open their wallet during the search.
During the ordeal, they stole the victim’s debit card and later made numerous withdrawals from various banks.
Although police said the ruse the group uses may be different in each case, the most common method seems to be a “sleight of hand in which the suspect is able to remove the debit card without the victim’s knowledge.”
Before the theft, the suspects would typically watch their victims input their PIN either at an ATM or while paying at a store, police said.
In some cases, the victim’s entire wallet was stolen instead of just a debit or credit card. Police have released surveillance images of the three suspects.
Anyone who knows them or has information on the case is asked to call Tustin Police at 714-426-2427 or email [email protected].
Anonymous tips can be provided to OC Crime Stoppers at 1-855-847-6227 or online at occrimestoppers.org.
