Boston police seek 3 suspects in theft of phones, credit cards

The three men allegedly went to the parking lots of the Whole Foods store on Harrison Avenue in the South End and to Walgreen’s on East Broadway in South Boston, the statement said.
The men approached the victims in the parking lots, claiming to be collecting donations for a child who was shot or deceased family members, police said.
One victim said she was walking to her car in the Whole Foods lot shortly before 1 p.m. when she was “surrounded” by three men who asked for donations for “their brother who was killed,” according to a police report.
“The victim stated she was boxed in with nowhere to go, her back against a car and they wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” the report stated.
“The victim stated she was scared” and agreed to send $15 over Venmo but the men allegedly asked for a credit card to use in the Square app, according to the report.
She had taken the card out when they also allegedly asked for her cellphone and “did not wait for her to agree to hand over her phone and grabbed it from her hands,” the report stated.
The victim was allegedly shown a $15 charge and her card and phone were returned, according to the report. But, the victim said she saw an authorization text from her credit card for $4,000 “to which the suspects replied ‘Yes,’” the report said.
Another woman said she was walking into Walgreen’s at around 3 p.m. when three men approached and asked her “to make a donation for a child that was shot,” according to the police report.
The men allegedly took the victim’s phone to show their “credentials” after stating they were from Boston but did not show identification, according to the report.
The victim said they asked to charge $5 to her credit card but had instead charged $5,000 instead, according to the report.
About 40 minutes after that incident occurred, another victim reported being surrounded by three men who approached her in the Walgreen’s lot, police said.
They had allegedly told the victim they had “recently lost a brother and were asking for donations,” according to the report.
The victim saw the men had a device with “tap-to-pay” capabilities with $15 listed on the screen. They allegedly said they could not take Venmo or cash, only credit cards, the report said.
One of the men asked to see her phone, and “Before she could respond, the suspect forcibly took the phone from her hand and tapped it on their device,” the report stated.
“A second suspect then took her bank card from her hand and also used it to tap on the same device,” police wrote.
Her phone and card were returned before the men allegedly fled, according to the police report.
The victim contacted her bank, which confirmed that $15,000 was attempted to be drawn from her account, but only $5,000 was actually taken, the report said.
A second $5,000 attempt was blocked, police said.
The incidents remain under investigation.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call detectives at 617-343-4742 or at 617-343-5619, police said. Those who wish to do so anonymously can call the CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS, text “TIP” to CRIME (27463), or submit information online.