Hawaii County police are warning the public not to leave their handbags unattended in shopping carts. 

Elderly female shoppers have been reporting they have had their purses stolen out of their shopping carts at various Hilo stores, police said today. 

In some cases, the thieves are working in tandem. While one distracts the shopper, the other grabs the handbag. 

There have been at least three recent cases, and in April police reported several cases since February. 

Lt. Gregory Esteban of the Area 1 Criminal Investigations Section said it only takes seconds to snatch a bag out of a cart of a distracted shopper. 

“We are advising women to keep their handbags on their person while out in public to avoid being a target of theft,” he said. “Often the theft of a handbag can lead to additional crimes, such as unauthorized use of a credit card and identity theft.” 

Anyone who is a victim of a purse snatching on Hawaii island is asked to report it immediately by calling the police non-emergency number at 935-3311.