On Saturday January 17, 2009 @ 3:30 p.m. the victim was shopping at the Kohl’s store in Festival when she was surrounded by 2 black females who blocked and then “bumped” her.
Later the victim found that her wallet had been removed from her purse. Within hours the victim’s Chase Credit card was used to purchase gift cards at Best Buy in Bel Air.
The first suspect is described as a black female 35-40 years old, 5’5″ to 5’10”, 230 pounds, brown hair and wearing a long brown fur coat. The second suspect is described as a black female 50 to 60, 5’8″ wearing a long tan wool jacket and black hat.
Information is being sought on the identities of the 2 suspects along with information on any similar crimes in the area.
If you have any information regarding the incident please contact: DFC J. Auer, Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Northern Precinct, 410-692-7880.
On the face of it, purchasing a gift card with a stolen credit card allows you all the time in the world to spend the stolen money, whereas the credit card will be reported stolen within 24 hours (quicker since the customer would have to go check out and realize their card is stolen).
However, Best Buy can cancel the gift cards remotely after identifying the purchase number, nullifying the stolen money, and being able to return it to the customer’s credit card.
So ultimately, a pretty dumb thief.