A 61-year-old Union woman allegedly stole more than $2,000 from AutoZone Auto Parts, 1443 W. Fifth St., in Eureka in order to send money to a man she met online who claimed he needed money to return to America. The theft happened between May 10 and May 1, Eureka Police reported.
The woman, who had worked at the auto parts store, allegedly took $1,360 from the business’s safe and $672 from two registers. The woman allegedly left a note in the safe saying she was sorry she had to take the money, adding that she would make restitution the next day, the report said.
The store’s lost-prevention specialists told police he had tried to contact the woman, but she would not return phone calls. Her co-workers said she had started a relationship with a man over the internet who claimed to be a millionaire but needed money to return to America, according to the report.
The woman told fellow employees she was sending him money through gift cards. They told the woman it sounded like a scam, the report said.
As of May 23, the woman had not been located and none of the money had been recovered, Capt. David Wilson said.