Placing a purse in the child seat of a shopping cart could mean saying good-bye to the wallet inside.

A thief has been targeting elderly women shopping in local stores. Since June, 13 shopping cart-type wallets thefts in Thousand Oaks, Agoura and Westlake Village have been linked to one suspect. That same person has been linked by police to one of three wallet thefts reported in Simi Valley.

The thief only takes about two minutes to commit his crime. He’ll walk into a store, grab a free newspaper or magazine from the instore display and find a shopper with her purse in the child carrier of the cart.

As soon as the shopper turns her head away from the cart, the thief makes his move—unzips the purse, grabs the wallet, hides it inside the newspaper and goes out the door, said Thousand Oaks Detective Daniel Blanck.

The shopper doesn’t even have to walk away from the cart. Often she is still within inches of her purse. The thief moves right in, getting very close to the shopper, Blanck said.

“One lady just opened the freezer door and he was right there. Another turned her head to pick up some produce,” he said.

The suspect is on video and his boldness is amazing, the detective said. He’s described as an Hispanic male about 35 to 40 years old, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall and 165 to 185 pounds.

In Thousand Oaks the thief has hit Ralphs on Moorpark Road, Albertsons on Avenida de Los Arboles, Orchard Supply Hardware on Avenida de Los Arboles and CVS/Pharmacy on Moorpark Road. The Albertsons on Cochran Street in Simi was also hit.

“Women should keep their purses on their shoulder. I know it’s uncomfortable, but it keeps them safe,” Blanck said.

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).