Would you feel threatened by the smiling face of this thief?

Grocery cart pickpocket

I’ve written about the grocery cart pickpocket before, but here’s a name and a face. Helps you realize just how virtuous and irreproachable a thief can look. This woman, Desha Wilkins, has a long record. She’s practiced. She’s calm—smooth—when she swoops in and snags stuff out of other women’s handbags—your handbag. You won’t feel nervous when she comes near; she’s just another woman shopping for groceries. You won’t clutch your purse closely, or swivel to stare.

This particular grocery cart pickpocket lives in District Heights, Maryland. She’s known to operate in surrounding areas as well as Montgomery County. Based on my interviews with other pickpockets, I’d bet that she travels, too. She might visit your neighborhood store. You might be there at the time. Oh, and she’s not the only one who preys on grocery store shoppers. Here’s a husband-and-wife thievery team who favor the shoppers at Whole Foods. And another. And more. Here’s the aftermath from a victim, an American woman in Paris.

Just a reminder: don’t leave your purse in your grocery store shopping cart. A theft takes only a second while you choose a ripe avocado or compare product labels. You won’t know your wallet or phone’s gone until you go to check out. Meanwhile. the grocery cart pickpocket will be long gone.

A certain brand of thief makes a career of this M.O. She stalks her marks and waits for the perfect opportunity. If you set your purse in the shopping cart, you will give her that perfect opportunity. Avoidance is simple: just keep your purse on your shoulder. Do not set it in the cart at all.