HOUSTON – It's a crime that's easily preventable, yet many still fall victim.
Police say thieves are targeting women's purses left draped over the back of chairs at restaurants.
"It happened so fast," Karen Owens said after falling victim to this crime Nov. 25. "The next thing I know, I'm getting calls from my credit card company that there were fraudulent charges. I looked in my purse and my wallet was gone."
Surveillance video from Berryhill Baja Grill on 1717 Post Oak Blvd. shows a man sitting next to Owens and her fiance at the bar. Owens' back is to the thief and he's seen reaching into the purse draped over her chair.
Within 40 seconds, the thief was gone. So was her cash, credit cards, gift cards and drivers license.
"(The thief) was all over town, which makes me think there were more people involved," Owens said. "He knew exactly what he was doing."
Another look at the surveillance video does seem to show an accomplice, a lookout standing by the thief.
After the wallet was swiped the two men walk away at the same time.
Owens said that by the time she realized what had happened, nearly $5,000 had been charged to her credit cards.
"Then when I called the Arena Theatre, I found out that the guy had purchased some concert tickets and went to a concert," she said.
Owens is now warning others about this crime.
"Ladies, don't make the same mistake I've made," she said. "Keep your handbags in your sight at all times."
Owens is also offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who can help Houston police make an arrest.