Man, 93, urges Bury St Edmunds shoppers to be vigilant after thieves steal his bank cards and withdraw thousands of pounds

A 93-year-old man has warned Bury St Edmunds shoppers to be vigilant after he was targeted by thieves who distracted him in a supermarket car park, stole bank cards and withdrew thousands of pounds.

The pensioner, who does not wish to be named, fell victim to the crime at Waitrose last month but has spoken out following two other similar distraction thefts on women, aged 80 and 71, in Bury car parks last week.

He said: “My message is be ever alert. Watch people around you all the time. I was pretty annoyed that I had been duped in a slick operation.”

The man paid for his shopping using his credit card at Waitrose, in Robert Boby Way, on September 14 between 11am and noon and was aware of a woman behind him in the queue.

He withdrew money from a cash point using his debit card, placed his goods and bag on the back seat of his car and a man, in his 50s, with greying hair, moustache and foreign accent, asked him for directions to the hospital.

While distracted, his cards were stolen and his credit card was used to withdraw £3,500 from cash machines in Ipswich and about £150 was spent in a shop.

Watch people around you all the time. I was pretty annoyed that I had been duped in a slick operation

In the other incidents, an 80-year-old woman loaded her shopping into her car at about 4.10pm at Waitrose on Friday, October 4, and was approached by a well-dressed woman, in her early 30s, who she believes was Eastern European. The woman said there was a mark on the back of the victim’s car, another car had hit it and pointed at a vehicle.

The victim said: “It was only a little while afterwards I realised my purse had gone. You just trust people and you don’t think it will happen. I would just be more wary.”

Nothing was withdrawn from the bank and visa cards in her purse, which also contained cash.

At Sainsbury’s, in Bedingfeld Way, on Tuesday, October 1, at about 12.30pm, a man with a foreign accent asked a woman, 71, for directions to the hospital, and while distracted, bank cards from her purse were stolen and used for transactions.

The man was about 5ft 8in tall, stocky, with short mousy brown hair and was wearing a light brown suit with a green badge.

Call 101 quoting 37/60177/19 for Sainsbury’s and 60523/19 and 37/55879/19 for the October 4 and September 14 Waitrose incidents.