Metro Vancouver's Transit Police are warning the public to watch for a suspect wanted in connection with a number of brazen daytime thefts near a Surrey SkyTrain station.
Sgt. Tom Seaman says victims are approached by a woman walking with a limp and asking for their help.
"It's after that they realize this woman that they tried to help has stolen from them," he said.
The most recent theft took place last Tuesday afternoon when a female driver was flagged down by a distraught woman who said her vehicle had run out of gas.
After driving the woman to the Scott Road SkyTrain Station and dropping her off, the driver found that her wallet had been stolen.
"Using this method of posing as someone in need and then victimizing the people that are trying to help you, it's not a new ploy," Seaman said. "But it's something we haven't seen in a while."
Police are seeking 35-year-old Rachelle Rha Copeland in connection with the thefts. She is described as five-feet-tall with shoulder-length hair, a thin build and missing some of her teeth.
Anyone who sees Copeland is asked to call Transit Police at 604-515-8300 or the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.
