The Case of the Notorious 'Wig Lady'

July 24, 2006 — -- She's sometimes a brunette, sometimes a blonde society type. At other times she's a white-haired matron. But police say she's a thief who has used wigs, stylish scarves and hats to make off with more than $200,000 in cash from several victims' checking accounts in Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Md.

Police have dubbed the series of thefts, identity thefts and check fraud the "wig lady" case. They estimate that the unidentified suspect has successfully hit about 20 bank accounts since last September.

Detective Brandon Menegedoht of the Montgomery County Police Department began connecting the dots after studying photographs from different bank surveillance cameras. He realized it was the same smiling woman under all those wigs. He described her as either a white- or light-skinned black woman in her 40s or 50s.

Menegedoht has dealt with check fraud for the last 12 years but said, "this is a pretty bold one."

Police said the wig lady follows a routine in her thefts. She comes into the bank, engages the teller in a pleasant conversation, presents a fake or stolen ID and says she needs her checking account number to deposit a check. Once she has that number, she returns to the bank either later that day -- or the next day -- and gets the teller to process a withdrawal. By the time the victims notice the activity on their accounts and alert the bank, it's too late. The wig lady has emptied them out.

Police suspect the wig lady is part of a bigger fraud and identity theft ring that works with several accomplices. It targets female victims who are generally 50 years old or older.

Police said the victims have reported their wallets with their identification stolen in a variety of ways and in a variety of places. One woman said she was approached by a man in a grocery store who asked for her help in picking out produce. While distracted, an accomplice lifted her wallet, but the victim didn't realize her wallet was gone until she reached the checkout line. Other women have reported their wallets stolen from their purses, which were either hanging on a chair or sitting on the floor in a restaurant.