From Cotswolds car parks to the golf clubs of Dorset, smiling young women have been approaching wealthy older men on the pretext of charity fundraising, but ultimately walking off with their Rolexes.
In many cases they offer a hug or a kiss of gratitude after a petition has been signed, then depart, having removed their victim’s expensive watch from his wrist.
The Times can reveal that woman - none of whom has been traced - struck nearly 70 times last year across the home counties and the southwest. That figure is believed to be a low estimate and it is unclear whether one gang is responsible, or several unconnected thieves are involved.
The cases span Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, and Wiltshire and the total value of the stolen watches runs to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
In Emsworth, Hampshire, the thieves wore “a nurse’s type of uniform”; in Swindon, Wiltshire, two women were described as of Asian, possibly Chinese ethnicity; and in Ferndown, Dorset, a woman in a black dress was believed to have spoken with a Spanish accent.
The women often chose golf clubs or the car parks at Waitrose or other supermarkets and claimed to be gathering signatures for a petition or fund raising. They often use surgical face masks to disguise themselves and are invariably accompanied by a getaway driver.
The earliest reported incident seems to have been outside a Waitrose in Locks Heath, Hampshire, a year ago. Police said an elderly man was approached by a woman who asked him to sign a petition for a deaf charity. She grabbed his left hand, and he later noticed his Rolex was missing.
Jim Dey, 74, was at the Clandon Regis golf course in Surrey with his grandson when he was approached on the green by a woman in a smart casual shirt and trousers. “This young lady appeared out of nowhere with a clipboard as if she wanted a signature,” he said.
“She was pointing at her board, but I couldn't understand her,” he said, adding that he began to walk away when the woman grabbed his wrist. Later that day he realised that his £7,500 Rolex - a gift after 35 years’ service as a project manager in the oil industry - had vanished.
Deputy Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for acquisitive crime, said: “Distraction techniques such as this are often used by pickpockets and opportunistic thieves to steal valuables.”
Source: John Simpson; The Times
