BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nancy Coker said it was a typical trip to Publix when a woman in the refrigeration aisle asked her for help with milk. Looking back, Nancy believes the woman was a decoy.
"[She] looked like a Hispanic lady," said Coker. "She had a baseball cap on, and long black hair and broken English."
When it came time to pay, Coker realized what had happened.
"I got to check out, stood there and went 'oh my gosh I can't pay for this - my wallet is missing, someone took it.'"
The store called the police, and the store's manager invited Coker into an office where they reviewed the security footage that shows her speaking with the woman. While her back was turned, a man in an orange sweater walked over to look in her purse. He walked away but then came back, putting his hand in her purse and walking away with her wallet.
"And then there's another gentleman standing back further that's going to be holding up a t-shirt, so he could kind of block the view of what he was doing," said Coker.
The 82-year-old said her stomach sank watching the video.
"I though 'how foolish of me.' But a lot of people said they have done the same things," said Coker. "But when it's you, it's always different."
Coker said the suspects then went on a $500 shopping spree at Walmart. Luckily, her bank denied the charges. She hopes the suspects are caught before they target someone else and that her story is a lesson for others.
"I just hope more people will be aware, and especially elderly people like me, will realize that you just can't put trust out there at all anymore," said Coker.
If you recognize the suspects or have any clues that can help find them, contact Brentwood Police.
