Utahn urges others to be careful after thieves swipe her credit cards at Riverton restaurant
RIVERTON, Utah (ABC4) – A Utah woman is working to recover nearly $3,000 she says someone stole from her while she was out at lunch.
Joy Thomas, 70, says last Thursday she was with her family at the Panera in Riverton when she says a couple there targeted her.
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Security camera footage shows a woman reaching into Thomas’ purse, taking her wallet and removing the credit cards before returning the wallet to the bag.
Within 45 minutes, she had a $2,700 charge on her debit card at the Apple store.
“I picked out a couple of things for my granddaughter, I went to pay for it and when I opened my wallet the whole row of cards were gone,” Thomas said. “That’s when I knew.”
Thomas said she filed reports with both Riverton and Murray police, but so far no one has found the alleged thief.
“We don’t know for sure if we’ll get that back,” she said. “We hope we will, but we don’t know for sure.”
Until then, Thomas says she’s changing her safety protocols. She plans to only use a crossbody bag, so that way her purse is always on her.
Both Thomas and her daughter, Lorri Guss, say this experience has taught them to be more observant.
“I think as a community we may need to all be more aware and be on the lookout for each other,” Guss said. “If you see something suspicious, just keep a little extra eye on it.”
ABC4 reached out to Riverton police to see if they’ve noticed an increase in this type of crime recently, but so far have not heard back.
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