Have the “Longo’s lifters” been hitting stores across the GTA?

Shortly after an Aurora woman shared her story of her purse being stolen at the local grocery store April 14, another Longo’s shopper, this time in Richmond Hill, said her purse was nearly lifted in the same way at her local Longo’s earlier that afternoon.

And on April 10, police in Milton sent out a release, along with photos, of purse-snatching culprits in a Longo’s at that location. In this case, witnesses appear to have scared off the suspects.

Anne Marie, the Aurora shopper, was shocked to see photos released by police of the Milton suspects.

Two of the men, she said, looked exactly like the ones who bumped into her and told her that fire was coming from her car last Saturday afternoon in Aurora.

“If we spread this, hopefully someone will recognize them and they’ll be found,” she posted, along with the photos, on social media.

Joyce, too, is hoping the suspects will be nabbed, after reading about Anne Marie’s robbery and recognizing herself.

“I thought they were talking about me,” the Richmond Hill woman said. “It’s exactly what happened to me.”

It was around 1:45 p.m. April 14, about two hours before the Aurora incident, and began with a young man blocking her in the Longo’s aisle acting strangely.

As she prepared to pay at the cash register, a girl tapped her from behind and asked if she could go ahead as she only had one item, a jar of olives.

“I thought, why isn’t she in the express aisle, and what’s a young girl doing in a snowstorm buying olives?”

But she let her through anyway.

At the exit, another young woman blocked her way, then asked her for directions to the nearest taxi stand.

“What kid does that today? They all have Uber. And it was weird, she acted like she didn’t know where Yonge Street was — it was right there!

“I thought, what a strange day!”

In her car, in the parking lot, a man tapped on her window and told her the car was on fire.

“Very dangerous!” he told her. “Bend down, look.”

But Joyce got lucky. She had removed her car keys and might have locked the doors. She was not robbed.

She was rattled enough, though, to report it to the store and to ask to look at security videos, “but they found nothing on tape.”

“Longo’s takes the security of its customer and team members very seriously,” risk management director Michael Coladipietro said in an email. “We are continuously working with police and other business partners with a view of preventing and reducing the frequency of such occurrences in our stores.”

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Now she, like Anne Marie, is warning all her friends.

York Regional Police is also sending out a warning, along with descriptions of three suspects related to the purse-snatching at the Bayview and Wellington Street East store.

Suspect 1 is described as male, 25 to 30 years old, five-foot-10, a black moustache, wearing a black baseball cap with a white logo, black puffy jacket and black jeans.

Suspect 2 was female, 25 to 30 years old with a thin build, wearing a black tuque and Converse sneakers.

Suspect 3 was male, 25 to 30 years old, medium build, full beard and moustache, wearing a baseball cap, black hooded jacket with fur trim and black jeans.

York Regional Police is reminding residents to be cautious and to protect themselves by following these safety tips:

• If you are approached in a parking lot by someone claiming your vehicle is damaged or you have dropped money on the ground, immediately retrieve your purse or wallet, turn off your vehicle and take your keys out of the ignition. “This may be a ploy to distract you in order to steal your purse or other items within your car and possibly your vehicle.”

• Keep purchases locked in the trunk of your vehicle.

• Keep your personal items within eyesight while shopping and never turn your back on them in public.

• Keep all zippers close and pockets buttoned.

• If someone accidentally spills something on you, be alert and aware of the actions of people around you.

• If you witness suspicious people or activity, contact police immediately.

Anyone with information on these incidents, or if you have been a victim, is advised to contact YRP No. 1 District Criminal Investigation Bureau at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7141 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or leave an anonymous tip online at www.180022tips.com.

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