PHOENIX — An Ahwatukee woman says she’s the victim of theft and credit card fraud after she believes someone stole from her wallet while she shopped at a Fry's grocery store at 40th Street and Chandler Boulevard. >> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone. Sylvia Rhea discovered the theft after receiving a fraud alert from Chase Bank notifying her of unauthorized charges including a $2,100 purchase at Neiman Marcus at Scottsdale Fashion Square.
Now she's warning others to be alert while shopping during this busy time of year. "It happened so quickly," Rhea said. "I felt really violated.
" Rhea believes it happened while she was totaling up her items at the self-checkout area. She says she had placed her purse in the shopping cart's child seat and then tried to get assistance from a store employee. "As I turned around, I just got this really awkward feeling.
I actually pulled my cart up closer to me not even knowing why I had done it. My purse was, of course, in full view," Rhea said. Rhea believes the thief or thieves acted in the moments Rhea was looking for the store employee for help.
"It was twice that I looked away, and, you know, probably for maybe seven to 10 seconds each time," Rhea said. "They had plenty of time to take it, turn their back, realize that I still wasn't paying attention, and replace the wallet with the contents gone." While Rhea said two credit cards and cash were stolen, a single card, her ID and $15 were l.