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Indianapolis - While Metro Police continue to search for thieves who mugged an elderly woman and went on a shopping spree, there's another word of caution for everyone this holiday shopping season.
Police are still looking for a purse that belongs to a 72-year-old woman mugged in the Sam's Club parking lot on 86th Street near Michigan Road. The woman suffered a broken kneecap and a fractured arm trying to hold onto the purse. One of the few clues investigators have of the thieves is a photo taken by surveillance camera of one of the suspects -- a man using a stolen credit card with a woman's name on it. He left the Glendale Macy's with more than $800 worth of merchandise with no questions asked by the store clerk.
Authorities want store clerks to help them in the case by asking shoppers who pay with credit cards for proof of identification, and raise a red flag if the names don't match up.
"A lot of times, the merchants aren't checking ID's as well as they should," said IMPD Sergeant Matt Mount.
Eyewitness News took an undercover camera to several stores and found that few clerks are checking out identifications. At four of the five stores we went to never asked for identification, including the Macy's that had just handed over their surveillance to police.
"They can ask for identification to show that the driver's license and the picture matches the name on the credit card," Sgt. Mount said. "I think if that were to happen you'd cut back on a lot of fraud and theft that goes on."
Using a credit card from a co-worker named Steve, Eyewitness News reporter Cat Andersen picked up a sweater at Macy's, swiped the borrowed card, signed her name and left, no questions asked.
"You could probably sign 'Mickey Mouse' and they don't even pay attention to it," Sgt. Mount said.
At the Kohl's store near Keystone at the Crossing, it was the same story.
"You go to the store and make a purchase with a credit card, you usually slide it through," Sgt. Mount said. "They're just seeing if it's being accepted or not."
Andersen even asked the clerk at Kohl's if they checked ID. She simply answered "no".
When she tried to swipe the borrowed card at the Best Buy in Castleton, the clerk asked to see the card. She swiped it herself, but never noticed Steve's name on the card, or that the receipt slip was signed "Cat Andersen". The CD she purchased was bagged and handed over without a second thought.
At the 96th Street Wal-Mart, there was a slight snag when Steve's American Express card prompted the card reader to ask for his zip code. Asking a few people in line for a few local zip codes, Cat entered a few while the clerk patiently smiled, found one that worked and went on her way.
Only at the Old Navy store at Keystone was an ID requested, the clerk saying the name "Steve" caught her attention.
Eyewitness News contacted the corporate headquarters of all the stores, but none of them returned phone calls.
In the meantime, to keep you safe during the busy shopping season, police advise keeping a copy of all the items in your wallet at home. This way, if it's lost or stolen, you know exactly which cards to cancel, and the account numbers that go with them. This speeds up the process and raises a red flag on stolen credit cards right at the register in case the clerks don't catch it.
Police are still looking for a purse that belongs to a 72-year-old woman mugged in the Sam's Club parking lot on 86th Street near Michigan Road. The woman suffered a broken kneecap and a fractured arm trying to hold onto the purse. One of the few clues investigators have of the thieves is a photo taken by surveillance camera of one of the suspects -- a man using a stolen credit card with a woman's name on it. He left the Glendale Macy's with more than $800 worth of merchandise with no questions asked by the store clerk.
Authorities want store clerks to help them in the case by asking shoppers who pay with credit cards for proof of identification, and raise a red flag if the names don't match up.
"A lot of times, the merchants aren't checking ID's as well as they should," said IMPD Sergeant Matt Mount.
Eyewitness News took an undercover camera to several stores and found that few clerks are checking out identifications. At four of the five stores we went to never asked for identification, including the Macy's that had just handed over their surveillance to police.
"They can ask for identification to show that the driver's license and the picture matches the name on the credit card," Sgt. Mount said. "I think if that were to happen you'd cut back on a lot of fraud and theft that goes on."
Using a credit card from a co-worker named Steve, Eyewitness News reporter Cat Andersen picked up a sweater at Macy's, swiped the borrowed card, signed her name and left, no questions asked.
"You could probably sign 'Mickey Mouse' and they don't even pay attention to it," Sgt. Mount said.
At the Kohl's store near Keystone at the Crossing, it was the same story.
"You go to the store and make a purchase with a credit card, you usually slide it through," Sgt. Mount said. "They're just seeing if it's being accepted or not."
Andersen even asked the clerk at Kohl's if they checked ID. She simply answered "no".
When she tried to swipe the borrowed card at the Best Buy in Castleton, the clerk asked to see the card. She swiped it herself, but never noticed Steve's name on the card, or that the receipt slip was signed "Cat Andersen". The CD she purchased was bagged and handed over without a second thought.
At the 96th Street Wal-Mart, there was a slight snag when Steve's American Express card prompted the card reader to ask for his zip code. Asking a few people in line for a few local zip codes, Cat entered a few while the clerk patiently smiled, found one that worked and went on her way.
Only at the Old Navy store at Keystone was an ID requested, the clerk saying the name "Steve" caught her attention.
Eyewitness News contacted the corporate headquarters of all the stores, but none of them returned phone calls.
In the meantime, to keep you safe during the busy shopping season, police advise keeping a copy of all the items in your wallet at home. This way, if it's lost or stolen, you know exactly which cards to cancel, and the account numbers that go with them. This speeds up the process and raises a red flag on stolen credit cards right at the register in case the clerks don't catch it.
Police asking retailers to violate their merchant policy, how nice.
