2 women use 'lost wallet' to steal $16,000 from elderly woman

COON RAPIDS, Minn. (KMSP) - Coon Rapids police are looking for two women accused of stealing $16,000 from an elderly woman, targeting her in the parking lot of an Aldi store and using a lost wallet to get her attention. Police said the suspects appeared to be aware of camera systems and there are no clear surveillance photos.

How it happened

The victim was approached by a woman (Suspect 1) who showed her a wallet with what appeared to be a large amount of cash inside, and asked the victim if she had lost it. The victim told Suspect 1 that it wasn’t hers. Suspect 1 said there was $100,000 in the wallet.

The victim was approached a short time later by another woman (Suspect 2) in the same Aldi parking lot. The two suspects worked together, but pretended to not know each other. Suspect 2 pretended to work for a law firm and Suspect 1 pretended to be in the same situation as the victim.

Suspect 2 had the victim drive to Kohl’s, while Suspect 1 followed in another vehicle. Suspect 2 said her “important lawyer boss” was in a meeting at Kohl’s. She pretended to go inside the store to talk to her boss, and came back with more information to convince the victim.

The suspects convinced the victim to go to her home and then to her bank. They said if she withdrew $14,000 it could be invested and she would get her money back, plus more. The two suspects pretended the entire process had already worked for Suspect 1.

The victim gave $16,000 to Suspect 2, who walked away from the car to “record the serial numbers.” Neither suspect was ever seen again.

Not an isolated incident

Coon Rapids police are aware of at least one other incident in another city involving these same suspects. While police have no surveillance videos or photos of the suspects, they have gathered very specific descriptions:

Suspect 1: White woman in her 60s, described as “ordinary.” She had auburn highlights, a slightly overweight build and said her name was “Deb.”

Suspect 2: White woman in her 60s, described as a “smooth talker.” She seemed “well put together and very charismatic.” She was wearing a gold coat and hat and said her name was “Cheryl.”

Please report any similar incidents to your local police or sheriff. Coon Rapids police are investigating this case and can be reached at 763-767-6464.