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Police Hope Video Leads To Credit Card Thief

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By VALERIE KALFRIN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 2, 2008

TAMPA - Store security video of a girl about 8 years old on a shopping trip in Brandon could lead police to whomever has stolen credit cards and other items from patients and visitors at Memorial Hospital.

The victims - women ages 81, 74 and 62 - were undergoing treatment or visiting someone at the hospital at 2901 W. Swann Ave. between Sept. 12 and Sept. 25 when their wallets, checkbooks or credit cards disappeared, Tampa police said.

Their belongings were not secured at the time, police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.

"As if it's not traumatic enough to be in the hospital, they're becoming victims of crime," Davis said.

The three victims identified fraudulent charges on their accounts, which police traced to Shoe Carnival and TJ Maxx at a shopping center across State Road 60 from Westfield Brandon mall, police said.

Wednesday, police released video of two women they say were using stolen credit cards at these stores.

The women are accompanied by a girl who appears to be about 8 years old, Davis said.

The child's face can be seen clearly; investigators hope her identity will lead to that of the women, Davis said.

One of the women in the video is wearing blue hospital scrubs and white sneakers. However, detectives have no evidence that either woman in the video works for Memorial Hospital, Davis said. Detectives have shown the video to hospital personnel, and no one at the hospital has recognized them.

A spokeswoman for the hospital could not be reached Wednesday afternoon.

Police asked anyone with information about the child or the women in the video to call (813) 231-6130.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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