Shoulder-surfing suspects use brazen methods to obtain woman's credit cards

Police say a simple purchase at a Collingwood store nearly cost the buyer an extra $1,000.

They say the incident began when a woman purchased an item using a debit/credit card at a local store.

According to police, a suspect distracted the cashier while a second suspect looked over the victim's shoulder to get her personal identification number (PIN).

Police say this type of fraud is commonly referred to as shoulder surfing.

When the woman returned to her car with her purchases, police say one of the suspects distracted her while the second suspect entered the car and rummaged through her purse, grabbing her debit and credit cards.

Police say the pair then ran away from the area and took the cards to an ATM where they tried to withdraw $1,000 twice, but to no avail.

Luckily, police say the victim realized her cards were missing and cancelled both before the suspects could take out any funds.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information that may help identify the suspects is asked to call Collingwood OPP at 1-705-445-4321 or if you wish to remain anonymous, you can leave an anonymous tip online or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).