The front entrance to the Sam’s Club at 901 Airport Center Drive in the Airport Center shopping center in Hanover Township, Lehigh County
According to separate news releases, Pennsylvania State Police at Bethlehem are investigating several recently reported thefts at a Sam’s Club warehouse store in Hanover Township, Lehigh County.
The state police labeled the first incident theft by deception.
They said that on Dec. 28, a woman described only as an adult entered the store at 901 Airport Center Drive at approximately 6:18 p.m. and requested change for $800.
Police said the woman presented a cashier with eight $100 bills and requested change in $50 dollar bills.
“Once she received the $800 in $50 U.S. bills she asked the cashier if she could exchange the $50 bills for $20 bills,” police said. “As she handed the cash over to the cashier, the (woman) kept a portion of the cash and placed it underneath her handbag to conceal it.”
Police said the woman then left the store via its front entrance. The theft was only discovered when the cash register was $350 short at closing time.
In another incident uncovered three days later, police said two people apparently commited an act of theft by deception at the Sam’s Club store.
At around 10:14 a.m. New Year’s Eve, a woman who had purchased a TV via the Sam’s Club website went to the Airport Center store to pick it up.
When she arrived there at the scheduled pickup time, police said an employee told her the TV had already been picked up.
The woman “had her order documents with her and did not tell anyone else to pick up the television for her,” police said.
Sam’s Club staff conducted an investigation into the matter and subsequently discovered that the TV had been picked up by “a Hispanic couple (who) came by and just provided the first name for the order and were given the television.”
Police said the investigation into that theft is ongoing.
The press releases about both of the aforementioned thefts were issued between Feb. 8 and Feb. 11.
A third incident at the Sam’s Club store that is currently being investigated occurred Feb. 2, according to state police.
Sometime between 5 and 5:45 p.m., police said a wallet was stolen out of a 30-year-old Bethlehem woman’s shopping cart inside the store.
“Directly after stealing the wallet, the unknown actor used the victim’s credit cards, making approximately 10 purchases for a total of $4,717.75,” police said.
Anyone with information about these cases is asked to call Pennsylvania State Police at Bethlehem at 610-861-2026.
Police did not provide surveillance images of suspects in any of the cases.
