Sioux Falls Police are receiving reports of purses being stolen during brief vulnerable moments when the owner is temporarily distracted.

According to Officer Sam Clemens with the Sioux Falls Police Department, two daycare parking lots were targeted in West Sioux Falls. When a parent would leave their car unlocked for less than five minutes to pick up or drop off a child, thieves would sweep in a grab a purse before the owner returned.

In another scenario, shoppers who were distracted looking at various products turned back to their shopping cart to see that their purses were gone.

There are several types of theft that can occur while your eyes are off of your purse for a few seconds. "A Dip and Lift" refers to grabbing just one item from a purse, such as a wallet or a phone.  When you think about it, many women leave their purses unzipped and sitting on the baby seat part of a cart, making it easy access for a dip and lift.

The "Snatch and Run" or purse snatching is the most common type of purse related theft.  It is riskier because the victim may realize immediately that the purse is gone, while a cell phone or wallet may not be detected as quickly.

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