The Naperville Police Department is reminding folks to be cautious of strangers engaging with them in parking lots. They’ve recently received a report of a jewelry theft that followed a similar pattern to other parking lot thefts reported across the Chicagoland area.
In these crimes, victims are typically approached as they load groceries or other items into their vehicle. The suspects then engage the victim with friendly conversation … and typically offer the victim a gift. The gift can be a ring, gold colored necklace, or Apple products like an iPhone or AirPods in factory packaging.
The offenders typically work in teams and sometimes have small children present to assist with distracting the victim. After the victim and offenders part ways, the victim notices that their personal jewelry or watch has been stolen. They are left with the “distraction gift” provided by the offenders, which is typically worthless costume jewelry or broken or disabled Apple products…