Be aware of thieves who hide in plain sight

Police continue search for women involved in thefts

Northeast Georgia Medical Center is offering a reward for any information leading to the identification and arrest of these suspects. One woman is described as a black female with a medium build. She is believed to be in her mid to late 30s and has been seen wearing a black wig and blue medical scrubs. The second suspect is also is described as a black female with a medium to heavy build. She is believed to be in her mid to late 40s and was seen wearing a white cap and black leather jacket. They may be driving a burgundy Dodge Stratus and a Silver Dodge Stratus, investigators said. Those with information about the case are asked to contact Gainesville Police Lt. Carol Martin at 770-531-2667 or Northeast Georgia Health System Investigator Paul Loggins at 770-219-1712.

0203creepers3 — Northeast Georgia Medical Center is offering a reward for any information leading to the identification and arrest of these suspects. One woman is described as a black female with a medium build. She is believed to be in her mid to late 30s and has been seen wearing a black wig and blue medical scrubs. The second suspect is also is described as a black female with a medium to heavy build. She is believed to be in her mid to late 40s and was seen wearing a white cap and black leather jacket. They may be driving a burgundy Dodge Stratus and a Silver Dodge Stratus, investigators said. Those with information about the case are asked to contact Gainesville Police Lt. Carol Martin at 770-531-2667 or Northeast Georgia Health System Investigator Paul Loggins at 770-219-1712.

They may dress like you or act like you.

They've worn medical scrubs, dressed up and pared down. They seem to belong in the building or go unnoticed, even as they slip past you into an empty office and open desk drawers until they find your co-workers' credit cards, police say.

And when you break for lunch, they may grab a to-go box from your work space, too.

"You hate to think you have to be so guarded with your personal property when you're at work. Because it's an extension of your home most of the time," said Lt. Carol Martin, the Gainesville Police Department investigator who's working the case.

But guarded is how you should be at work, especially now.

Dubbed "office creepers" because of their stealing method, two women captured in surveillance videos at Northeast Georgia Medical Center are suspected of taking credit cards from employees who left their desks or personal belongings unattended, investigators said.

One employee filed a report with Gainesville Police, Martin confirmed. Andrew Corsaro, director of security at the hospital, said three hospital system workers contacted his office about missing credit cards.

Secure patient care areas were not infiltrated, Corsaro said.

How investigators connected the women to the thefts involved a crosscheck of hospital and retail store videos with corresponding credit card receipts from the stolen cards, Corsaro said.

"Their method is to hide in plain sight," he added.

The first theft happened in mid-December, Corsaro said, but hospital investigators are unsure whether the employee's card was taken at work or a nearby restaurant.

Two more reports were filed with Corsaro's office around Jan. 26, one from the main hospital and another at an off-site facility, he added.

That's when he decided to publish information about the thefts to employees. An alert was also distributed to the security director's Atlanta contacts within the health care security field.

Additionally, a Hall County Sheriff's Office crime prevention bulletin posted news of the thefts this week.

The connections have yielded leads along with Martin's investigation, which includes a credit card theft report taken at Brenau University on Jan. 27.

However, the university employee's case has not been positively connected to the hospital incident at this point, Martin said.

The women are wanted in connection with similar crimes in DeKalb, Gwinnett and North Fulton counties, officers said.

"This is not commonplace in Gainesville," Martin said. "We're getting leads in. We just have to track them down. It takes time. You don't want to accuse the wrong (persons)."

In the meantime, residents should use common sense when safeguarding their belongings.

Thefts can occur in 10 minutes or less, Martin said.

Don't leave valuables on your desk. Lock up purses and wallets in file cabinets, if possible. Or better yet, take them with you. And protect your Social Security card especially, she added.

"Credit cards can be canceled but Social Security cards cannot," Martin said.

Generally, identity theft should be a major concern when such personal information is suddenly missing, said Sgt. Stephen Wilbanks, crime prevention officer with Hall County Sheriff's Office.

In addition to protecting your work space, don't give thieves a chance to see valuables in your car, he added.

Lock your vehicles, and if you have to leave your belongings inside, make sure they are out of sight.

"A high percentage of these crimes occur in the owner's own driveway, and a surprising number of those cars are left unlocked," Wilbanks said.

News

News