Wallet thief spends $18,000

Published 11:05 pm Wednesday, August 1, 2007

LYNNWOOD – In the time it took Suzanne Rubenstein to drive from Lynnwood to her home in north King County, the thief had racked up thousands of dollars in credit charges in a whirlwind shopping spree.

“By the time I got home, VISA was calling to see if I’d withdrawn $2,500,” Rubenstein said. “I think whoever it was knew what they were doing.”

Rubenstein learned some hard lessons after her wallet was stolen from her purse on June 7.

She estimates the thief charged $18,000 on her credit cards in a matter of hours.

Rubenstein likely won’t have to pay for those charges, but she said the theft will cost her in the end.

“It comes out of everyone’s pocket in the form of higher interest rates,” she said. “And it’s a major hassle.”

Rubenstein has spent hours on the phone with credit card companies and police. She knows now she shouldn’t have been carrying all her credit cards in her wallet and she should have had a list of all her account numbers.

“I’ve learned from this whole thing,” she said.

Rubenstein had gone to The Keg in Lynnwood with a friend after work. She set her purse on an empty seat next to her. She realized her wallet was missing from her purse only when she went to pay the bill. At first it didn’t occur to her she was a victim of theft. Rubenstein thought she might have left her wallet at work.

“My whole life was in my wallet,” she said. “I couldn’t even remember what I had in there.”

It appears that the thief jumped from store to bank to store, withdrawing large amounts of cash and buying more than a dozen gift cards, Lynnwood police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said.

At least three transactions were caught on video surveillance and appear to be the same woman, Sessions said.

Police on Wednesday released still photographs from a Washington Mutual in Everett, where the woman withdrew $2,500, and from Macy’s at Everett Mall, where she purchased two $500 gift cards.

The suspect is described as a black woman in her late 30s to early 40s with short black hair. Anyone with information regarding the woman or this case should contact Lynnwood police officer Scott Dilworth at 425-744-6900.

In an odd twist, Rubenstein said she got a call from the Bothell post office the day after the theft. Her wallet had been dropped in a mailbox. Her Social Security card, driver’s license and checkbook were inside. Her credit cards were gone.

“I have no idea who did that,” she said. “I just hope they catch these people.”

Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.