Portland police identify 3 men accused of pickpocketing Costco and WinCo shoppers multiple times

PORTLAND, OregonKOIN) — With help from the community, Portland police have now positively identified the three suspects accused of pickpocketing metro area big box stores, although they have not yet released their names .

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KOIN 6 was the first to break the news of how a group of pickpockets were stealing the wallets of unsuspecting shoppers at Costcos. up and down the I-5 corridor. They used credit cards to purchase gift cards worth hundreds of dollars before the victims even realized their wallets were missing.

On Friday, KOIN 6 learned that WinCo saw our report and contacted detectives because the same pickpockets also allegedly targeted shoppers in their stores. In the case of WinCo, a retail chain that does not accept credit cards, the accused thieves monitored people who used their debit cards and then used their PIN after picking their pockets.

It’s an evolving story as police search for the suspects.

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Police are asking people to contact them if they recently lost their wallet and now realize these men potentially stole it, that way investigators can track down any relevant surveillance footage.

“The sooner the better, because there is a limited shelf life on the videos and I would like to be able to charge them with as many crimes as they committed,” said Jordan Zaitz, a Portland police detective in charge of of the affair.

Anyone with information about the case or anyone who believes they may be a victim is asked to contact police.

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