La Jolla merchants reported an apparent increase in petty crimes around the village, including a Jan. 14 incident in which a Maudlin employee was allegedly pick-pocketed by a man pretending to be a customer, according to Promote La Jolla vice president Jennifer V.G. Clark. “[When the employee] went into the back to get swatches … he took her wallet out of her bag,” Clark said in an e-mail regarding the incident. “He even shook her hand before he left.” Merchants described the alleged thief as a 5-foot-9-inch Middle Eastern man in his late 30s wearing a suit and tie. Clark said criminals have victimized other La Jolla merchants – storeowners say the crimes range from check fraud to break-ins — so area merchants have decided to band together. “In addition to the two blond men that shoplifted over $10K of merchandise from my store, I now have someone writing false checks against my business account,” wrote Encore of La Jolla’s Deborah Williams in an e-mail that circulated to many village business owners. Williams said although she would not call the increase in crimes a “crime wave,” she thinks it “warrants attention, communication and suggestions for prevention.” “The first two grand thefts were professional shoplifters who lifted over $10K each before I installed cameras,” Williams said. “I also had an attempted break-in last month with someone trying to break my back door handle with a hammer.” Williams said she replaced the door with a “hammer-proof” handle, installed security cameras and hired security guards. She also said a woman has targeted her store — Encore resells high-end fashions — writing false checks against her account. In an e-mail, Williams warned other merchants to “be on the lookout for any and all types of theft and fraud as it is only going to get worse … The two blonde men who ripped me off were spotted casing another store just a block away.” Because shop owners alerted one another, they made it impossible for the duo to make off with anything, Williams said. According to Officer Paul Peregud of the San Diego Police Department, police have not arrested the two blond shoplifters that merchants described in the November Encore thefts. “Both are blond, appeared to be in their forties. They stole a bunch of clothing November 14, 2008,” Peregud said. “No arrests yet.” Merchants continue to stand vigil over La Jolla village and their neighboring stores, according to Clark. “I suggested that we host a monthly happy hour so the merchants can get to know each other and become familiar with each other’s businesses. I hosted the first one Tuesday night,” Williams said. Williams said shop owners have decided to look out for each other. “Everybody has to be more aware because they’re using all kinds of methods to get stuff out of the stores,” Williams said. Any merchants who want to attend the next meeting can e-mail Williams at [email protected].