Translate
Suspects accused of watching victim use PIN on debit card, then stealing card by distracting victim, then heading to bank to withdraw cash
Please reference CCSO Case # 23-014880
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help to ID two suspects accused of stealing an elderly victim's ATM card and using it to withdraw large amounts of cash.
In the early afternoon on Monday, July 17, 2023, Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the area of Chase Bank at 12400 SE Sunnyside Rd. in Clackamas. A 911 caller had reported that two people had stolen a debit card and were inside the bank using it to withdraw money. The suspects then reportedly ran out of the bank and fled east on SE Sunnyside Road.
Deputies spoke with the victim, who described the chain of events that led to the debit-card theft:
- The victim said that she had been using her debit card to buy groceries at a nearby grocery store earlier that day.
- She reported that a man and woman were in line behind her, and that the man was standing close behind her and may have seen her use her personal identification number (PIN) during the transaction.
- As the woman was completing her transaction, the man standing behind her asked her if she had dropped a $10 bill, then kept trying to give her a $10 bill. (Surveillance video of this interaction revealed the man pulling something out of his pocket and dropping it on the ground, picking it up, and then speaking with the victim.)
- The man and woman then followed the woman into the parking lot, continuing to ask her if she'd dropped something and asking her to check her wallet.
- The woman checked her wallet in front of the duo -- and believes her debit card may have been stolen out of the wallet while one of the suspects distracted her.
- After returning home, the victim received notifications of multiple withdrawals on her bank account. The victim then drove to the Chase bank branch -- and saw the same man and woman in the bank's checkout line. She yelled out that they had stolen her debit card, and the man and woman ran out of the bank.
Surveillance photos of the two suspects are linked above. Investigators are asking for the public's help to identify them.
TIPS SOUGHT
Anyone who can help ID these suspects is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office Tip Line -- by phone at 503-723-4949 or by using the online form at https://www.clackamas.us/sheriff/tip . Please reference CCSO Case # 23-014880.
SAFETY TIP
Criminals will sometimes attempt to watch someone enter their PIN on a debit card or the unlock key on a phone, then attempt to steal the card or device to access cash or personal info.
If possible, use a tap-based payment method (or a credit card that doesn't require a PIN) during transactions where someone might see you using that PIN. If you must enter a PIN, be aware of your surroundings -- and whether someone might be watching you.
[END]
Sgt. Ross Clemson
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office
Communications Unit