An elderly woman was the victim of a distraction thief at a Waitrose in Buckinghamshire.

The shopper was paying at the tills inside Beaconsfield Waitrose on Penn Road, when she was targeted by a calculative thief.

Her daughter warned other shoppers on social media after the incident, which happened on Monday October 17 around 12.50pm.

She said: “A man distracted her, videoed her pin and then stole her purse out of her bag.”

Although the shopper managed to inform the police and bank, the thief had already spent a “substantial amount of money using her cards for contactless payment,” her daughter said.

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While her mother was refunded for the money, she pleaded with others to stay vigilant as thieves "unfortunately do tend to target anyone who may appear to be vulnerable." 

A Waitrose spokesperson said: "We're really shocked and sorry to hear this and send our best wishes to our customer. We will of course support the police with any investigation." 

Thames Valley Police confirmed it had received a report of a theft of a purse in Beaconsfield Waitrose at around 12.50pm on Monday.

The force said: “An investigation is ongoing.

“Anyone with information can call 101 or make a report online quoting reference 43220468113.”

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