Lower Merion Police Asking for Help IDing Suspected Thieves

Lower Merion Police have released images of a man and a woman they believe are behind several of the wallet thefts that have occurred at local businesses in recent weeks.

According to township public information officer Tom Walsh, the man and woman (pictured above) were captured on surveillance video making purchases immediately after thefts and, police say, “should be considered suspects.” The department is asking anyone who recognizes the couple to contact Lower Merion Police at 610-649-1000.

The thefts in question have conformed to two separate patterns, according to police. Method one targets store employees. If a worker stores her purse in the business, one thief will distract the worker while a second swipes the victim’s wallet.

The second method targets customers. When a diner slings her purse over the back of a chair while eating in a restaurant, a thief will surreptitiously remove the wallet from the purse and remove credit cards from the wallet before slipping it back into the bag.