Sliders at gas stations: New type of thief

Sliders at gas stations: Sliders sneak into cars at gas stations and steal purses. What police recommend in order to counter this new crime.

Beware of "sliders."

Police are warning drivers, especially women, of this new kind of theft happening at gas stations around the US.

It's a crime of opportunity and distraction.

Sliders are mostly purse thieves. They watch for a woman filling up the gas tank of her car. They pull into the station, as if getting gas themselves. Then, a slider will open the door (or reach in the open window) of the adjacent car and snatch the purse or any other valuables in the front seat, and drive off while the driver is still busy on the other side of the car pumping gas.

"It's 'sliding' because they're sliding below the eye level of the door," Houston police officer Jim Woods tells CBS News Channel 2 in New York.

"They're not looking for a confrontation. They just want your property because they know that it's left abandoned and you're not paying attention," says Woods in a KTNV Las Vegas interview.

Police recommend that drivers lock their doors or keep their purses with them when they exit the car to pump gas.