Distraction crimes are on the rise, police say
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Police are warning the public of an increase in reports of distraction thefts in the region. Distraction theft is a crime in which someone steals something from another person after they are tricked into paying attention to someone or something else.
The Greater Sudbury Police Service is warning the public of an increase in reports of ‘distraction thefts’ in the city.
Distraction theft is a crime in which someone steals something from another person after they are tricked into paying attention to someone or something else.
“Over the past month, we have received 10 complaints regarding ‘distraction’ thefts,” police said in a Facebook post.
“Most of the incidents involve individual(s) targeting women pushing shopping carts with their purse/wallet in the cart, primarily in the New Sudbury area.”
This comes after Rainbow Crime Stoppers’ Crime of the Week blog said individuals have been attempting to obtain the pin number of shoppers then steal the victim’s wallet from their vehicle following a distraction.
“They can then proceed to use the card(s) to make large purchases or get some cash,” said Crime Stoppers, in their blog entry on Tuesday.
The Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) said they have not determined if it is the same individual(s) responsible for all the reported incidents; however the distraction techniques are similar.
