Woman robbed outside Redlands Target by two young men who offered to sell her candy

A woman was robbed outside a Redlands Target in Citrus Plaza after two young men, who asked if she wanted to buy candy, snatched her wallet and ran, getting away with hundreds of dollars. 

It's a common sight, kids outside stores who are selling candy for fundraisers. 

"They'll usually say something to the effect of, 'Oh, if I sell so much I get to go to Universal or Knott's Berry Farm,' or whatever the case," said shopper Maryann Schmidt. "I've heard that quite a few times." 

Very often, the legitimate fundraisers work to get kids off the street and into sports or other activities. 

Now, though, Schmidt wonders if people will be afraid to buy from kids like that in Redlands. Carl Baker, Public Information Officer for the City of Redlands, said that people should be careful. 

"I would advise people to just be cautious of buying candy from anybody who just approached them randomly in a parking lot," Baker said, adding that the two young men in this case did not identify themselves with any known organization.

Police have released security video of the incident to make people aware of the scam. 

"I've seen it quite often unfortunately," Schmidt said. 

Several other shoppers said they too had encountered the fake fundraisers before. 

"You just don't know what's legitimate and what's not and who to trust these days," said shopper Anthony Verdajo.

Many people were also surprised to learn of another woman who was victimized in a different incident on the same day, not too far away in Colton. 

Redlands Police just announced that they arrested 24-year-old Roberto Carlos Sanchez Jr. for carjacking an 81-year-old woman who was feeding the homeless outside a supermarket. 

Investigators in this case are hoping that they can also identify the two young men who robbed the woman outside Target.