Coquitlam RCMP are asking for the public's help in identifying a pair of suspects in two purse-snatching incidents.
On May 10, police believe the suspects followed a 58-year-old woman and secretly recorded her credit card's access code when she made a purchase.
They then followed her home, where the suspects distracted her by asking for water for an overheating engine in their black Honda.
She went inside to get the water to help the "stranded" couple, after which she started unloading groceries from her car. As the duo was leaving, they asked for more water in case the engine overheated again; the victim went inside for more water but when she came out, the pair had vanished along with her purse.
The woman immediately contacted the bank to cancel her credit and debit cards but was told one of the cards had already been used several times to withdraw cash.
The pair is believed to have struck again in Coquitlam on June 8 using the same strategy to allegedly steal the purse of a 67-year-old woman. Once again, cash was withdrawn from the woman's account just minutes after the theft.
The male suspect is described as Caucasian, about 35 years old and approximately 6' tall; he was described as having greasy, black hair and wearing a white shirt and jeans.
Images obtained from CCTV cameras at the two ATMs in question are of the same man, police believe.
The female suspect in the first incident is described as being about 25 years old and wearing a tight white shirt and jeans.
In the second incident, she's described as being about 15 to 16 years old, of average height with a medium build and long, dark hair.
Anyone with information about the suspects is asked to call Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 and quote file number 2014-12462 or 2014-15580, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.
