A suspected credit-card thief who quietly slipped into a North Austin breakroom earlier this year is now on the radar in Dallas too, after police say fresh surveillance images link the woman to a second office-park hit hundreds of miles away.
Austin detectives describe the suspect as a heavyset Black woman, about 5'10", who appears to favor a low-profile routine: enter employee-only spaces, lift cards from wallets, then use the plastic for gift-card runs. Investigators say that in at least one case, she slipped the wallet back to its spot, likely to buy time before anyone realized the cards were missing.
According to the Austin Police Department, the first known incident unfolded on Feb. 2 at a business located at 3508 Far West Boulevard. A masked woman walked into an employee-only breakroom and removed credit cards from a wallet. Police say those cards were later used to buy gift cards at an HEB on Burnet Road and a Walgreens on Mesa Drive.
Dallas Tip Ties The Cases
The trail picked up again in North Texas, where a Dallas resident turned over screenshots that investigators say show the same woman inside an office park at 8340 Meadow Road on June 15. In that case, authorities say she posed as a food-delivery worker and gained access to an employees-only area. As reported by FOX 7 Austin, the credit cards taken there were used at CVS and Tom Thumb locations around the Dallas area.
How To Tip Investigators
Anyone with information can submit an anonymous tip to Capital Area Crime Stoppers at austincrimestoppers.org or by calling 512-472-8477. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
APD's release includes surveillance images that show the woman in slides and leggings during the February incident, along with distinctive markings that could help identify her, including a tattoo on the left wrist and multiple tattoos on the right arm. Local reporting also notes the suspect has been seen driving a white Toyota Prius in the Austin area and a black Volkswagen Atlas SEL R-Line in the Dallas area.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been announced. Employers with shared staff areas are being urged to take a fresh look at access policies, and workers are reminded to keep wallets and personal items in locked or otherwise secure spaces.
