Thieves stealing credit cards are targeting vehicles across southern Colorado

Several cars were broken into Monday night in a Colorado Springs neighborhood near Constitution Avenue and Highway 24.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says at least four cars were broken into and had items stolen. All of the cars were unlocked.

“There were several credit cars taken and an ID taken from one of the vehicles. Those credit cards have been used at a local Walmart and charges in the amount of little over $2,000,” said Detective Micah Flick, with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office financial section of investigation division.

Flick says car break-in’s is a trend that was up 8 percent from 2014-2015 in El Paso County.

“I keep my cars locked at night. We keep our house locked, we have an alarm, we do what we can to protect ourselves,” said Jacqueline Madewell.

Madewell lives in the neighborhood where the break-in’s happened.

“We’ve had a couple of incidents in the neighborhood where people left their doors unlocked. They seem to be targeting unlocked cars,” said Madewell.

“They use different methods. Some criminals break windows, some look for the crime of opportunity where the door is unlocked and they see something in plain view and try to take the items,” said Flick.

There was a similar situation where a man used a stolen debit credit from Colorado Springs to make a $2,100 purchase at Best Buy stores in Centennial and Lakewood on October 2, 2015. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is still searching for him.

The crime is also happening in Woodland Park. Police are searching for two men who broke into multiple cars and stole credit cards. The pair used the cards to make purchases in Fountain and Pueblo. They may be traveling in a white Ford van.

Reports of fraudulent crimes in El Paso County were up by 18 percent for the 2014-2015 year.

“Please do not leave wallets, personal identification, documents, bank statements inside your vehicle. That’s a very easy target for criminals,” said Flick.