Triangle crime victim shares her story to deter thieves

That scenario is exactly what happened to a Raleigh woman, whose case is now part of the growing number of similar incidents that have been reported to local law enforcement agencies.

When Debbie Harmon saw a surveillance photo of a suspected thief from Cary who allegedly preys on elderly shoppers, she said she came down with chills.

"My heart was just beating so fast when I watched it" on the news, she said. "It just scared me to death because they're just doing this over and over again."

Harmon said she was approached by a woman at the Harris Teeter store in Cameron Village on Oct. 25.

"She said, 'would you help me read the price of this (soap because) I don't have my glasses?'" Harmon recalled.

What Harmon didn't know at the time, but later learned from watching the store's surveillance video, was that an accomplice was stealing Harmon's wallet while she was providing help.

"A man walked right by my cart and stuck his hand in my wallet and kept right on going," Harmon said, adding that she did not realize she had been robbed until she went to the register to pay for her items.

Harmon is now telling others about her experience to prevent others, especially elderly shoppers, from being victimized, too.

"It makes me not want to trust anybody," Harmon said. "I just think it’s awful. I surely hope they can catch them."