Thieves targeting women at Trader Joe's

MEDFORD, Ore. – For the past three months, thieves have been targeting women shopping at Trader Joe’s.

The Medford Police Department said six shoppers had their wallets stolen from out of their purses that were placed in shopping carts at the Medford grocery store. All those targeted were women between the ages of 65 and 85.

According to police, the suspects work together. One person distracts the shopper while the other one takes the wallet. The suspects then quickly use credit cards at nearby stores like Best Buy, Office Depot, and Target. They’re able to buy thousands of dollars worth of products, often in the form of gift cards.

MPD believes the suspects are traveling up and down Interstate 5 to commit the thefts. They often drive high-end SUVs. Most recently, they drove a black Range Rover Discovery with California license plates.

“Although they are targeting Trader Joe’s in the most recent cases, we have seen this happen just about everywhere during the holiday shopping season,” MPD wrote. “Please take precautions if you are out shopping.”