Checkbook-Swiping Woman

ILL - A woman who police have a surveillance photo of is suspected of stealing check books from elderly women as they shopped at stores in two western suburbs, then cashing several of the checks.

The suspect, who appears to be about 5-foot-3 and weighs 125 pounds, is suspected of lifting the checkbook out of the purse of a 68-year-old North Aurora woman who was shopping at a grocery store in the 1200 block of North Lake Street in Aurora on May 13, the release said. The victim told detectives that the suspect first asked the woman if she would hand her an item from an upper shelf, apparently to distract her. The victim then found out that the woman cashed one of her checks about 45 minutes after she discovered her check book missing.

Also on May 13, Oswego Police said a woman noticed her wallet missing after she shopped at a grocery/department store at Route 30 and Orchard Road. Later in the day, the woman cashed a check from the victim's account at a bank in the 6600 block of Route 34, which is the picture police are releasing from the surveillance system.

The suspect struck again on June 23, after a 79-year-old woman noticed her checkbook missing after shopping at a home improvement store in Oswego. Later the same day, the suspect cashed two checks from the woman's account at an Aurora bank in the 1300 block of North Farnsworth Avenue.

The total loss in the three incidents is about $3,500. In all three cases, the suspect apparently used an out of state identification card that turned out to be stolen last year.

Anyone with information on the identity of the woman is asked to call Aurora Police, (630) 801-6655, Oswego Police (630) 551-7349; or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers, (630) 892-1000. Callers to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and qualify for a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

Source:
Woman Suspected Of Lifting Checkbooks From Elderly