Elderly women targeted in thefts (From Sutton Guardian)

Thieves steal from two elderly women in Sutton

4:50pm Tuesday 29th January 2013 in News By Mike Pyle

Thieves stole a total of £500 from two elderly women in separate incidents earlier this week.

A 79-year-old woman was in her car in Waitrose car park, Worcester Park, when she was approached by a young woman, tapping on her window and asking for change at around 2pm on Sunday.

The woman opened the driver's door and leant forward to check the change in the driver's purse. This caused the purse to spill. The woman who wanted the change collected up the contents and gave them back to the pensioner.

But when the elderly woman got home she noticed two of her cards were missing. She later found they had been used to withdraw £200.

The following day an 81-year-old woman found she had £300 taken from her account after her purse was stolen as she sat in Barclays bank, Sutton High Street, at around midday.

Police say it is important people hold their bags securely, be aware of who is around them and never leave bags unattended.

If you have any information about either incident you can call police on 101 or the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.