Police say the popularity of “tap-and-go” credit cards has caused a spike in wallet and handbag thefts in SA.
This type of crime was decreasing from 2011, police say, but has been on the rise in the last couple of years.
“We took a closer look at a random sample of these matters to see if we could find any common links,” Assistant Commissioner Paul Dickson said on Tuesday.
“Disturbingly we found about 40 per cent of those had cards taken which were subsequently used by the thief or a secondary offender to make tap-and-go purchases.
“Given that we believe this category of offending is significantly under-reported, we believe the true level could be much higher.
“It is our belief that these thefts are being motivated by low level criminals wanting to obtain these contactless payment cards.
“These types of incidents are highly disruptive for the victim as they have to cancel and replace the full contents of their wallet or purse. Plus it places them at additional risk of crime such as identity theft.”
Mr Dickson had a message for the community:
“You wouldn’t leave your wallet or bag insecure or unattended if it had $1000 in it, so treat these cards with a similar level of care,” he said.
