SAN MARCOS, Calif. (KGTV) - For the second time in three weeks, a senior shopper’s wallet has disappeared from her purse inside a local Costco.
On Saturday, Eileen McCormack and her husband made a quick trip to the Costco in San Marcos. McCormack says she placed her purse on its side in the cart, the strap tied through the child harness, and went shopping.
As her husband went to the bathroom, she quickly picked up several items.
“I never took my hands off the cart,” said McCormack.
McCormack ended up in an aisle, looking at olive oil. She says a dark-haired man in his late 20s approached her, speaking in broken English.
“This man came from the right side, and I turned with my back to the cart. I turned to respond to him,” said McCormack. “He showed me a bottle of olive oil and asked me to explain the label to him.”
After about a minute of back-and-forth conversation, the man abruptly left.
“All of sudden, left with the olive oil. He said, ‘Thank you,’” said McCormack.
McCormack says about 15 minutes later, she was at checkout.
“I opened my purse to look for my wallet, and it wasn’t there,” said McCormack. “My stomach just dropped.”
A call to her credit card company revealed more than $2,000 in charges at a nearby Home Depot. Besides her credit card, her debit card and driver’s license were also taken. McCormack believes that as the man with the olive oil was distracting her, an accomplice made a move.
“I think he came up behind me, he undid the zipper in my purse, took my wallet and left,” said McCormack.
A few weeks ago, ABC 10News reported on another senior shopper whose wallet vanished from her purse inside a Costco in Carmel Mountain after a similar distraction tactic. In that case, the person who asked the victim questions was a woman in her 40s.
“I think it's very cleverly done. Targeting seniors is not a very nice thing to do. It's scummy,” said McCormack.
McCormack is now sharing her story in hopes of helping other shoppers.
“My message is be alert. Be vigilant,” said McCormack.
McCormack says her credit card company won't require her to pay for the charges.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
ABC 10News has reached out to Costco to find out how many local thefts they've seen and are waiting to hear back.
