Rolex ripper
Stefania Tinica has been sentenced to 40 months in jail for robbery and attempted robbery.

‘Rolex ripper’ sentenced to 40 months in jail

40-year-old woman preyed on wealthy older men wearing prestige watches around their golf clubs.

Stefania Tinica, a 40-year-old woman from Romania, has been jailed for 40 months for robbing elderly gentlemen of their Rolex watches.

Ms Tinica was sentenced by Chester Crown Court after pleading guilty to two cases of theft of high value watches worn by men around their golf clubs.

She is thought to be part of a gang of women who have become known as the ‘Rolex rippers’ following a string of similar incidents.

In one robbery, Ms Tinica and a female accomplice stole a £15,000 Rolex from a 75-year-old man near Parkstone Golf Club in Poole, Dorset, after drawing him into an embrace and slipping the watch off his wrist.

This followed an incident several months earlier close to Alderley Edge Golf Club in Cheshire when a golfer was approached by Ms Tinica and an accomplice who tried to steal his Rolex Submariner.

In that case, the man realised what was going on and pushed the women away.

It is not known whether a tag of ‘Rolex rippers’ applies to an organised gang targeting people across the country, or that similar incidents of sleight of hand thefts recorded in Dorset, Chester, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire last year are unrelated.

Police say the crimes as similar, and are warning the public to be on their guard for women, often in pairs, approaching men in the car parks of golf clubs or Waitrose supermarkets. They carry clipboards and appear to be conducting research.

Once a questionnaire is completed with the scammers, they move in to give a hug to their mark in thanks for their help and attempt to slip expensive watches off their wrists.

SPECIAL REPORT: Shifting tides in the secondary watch market

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10 Comments

  1. Yep these are romanien gypsies..travelling in gangs across europe and theitlr main aim is to steal and rob in a way taught to them by their parents. They are good at their work too..shoplifting is one of their greatest schemes..with lots of security in their homeland shops..very good at scheming our social security too.claiming for kids who were sent home after the claim..they should be called in for a surprise meeting..but they are not..and child benefit can be claimed for 15yrs….with no checks.
    After their sentences they should be deported.

  2. Let’s hope she is deported back to Romania once she has completed her sentence, otherwise she will be straight back doing the same.

  3. Bloody good hiding they will have if they come across me no need to call police slap on the wrist sentence is all they get

  4. Who would want to be hugged by that ogre?! If my dog had a face like that, I’d shave his ass and teach him how to walk backwards! Yikes!!!

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