'Undie' thieves target Victoria's Secret

MEDIA, Pa., Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The thongs, bras and pricey lingerie of Victoria's Secret are being targeted by professional shoplifters who steal in quantity, U.S. authorities said.

Four women thieves this month pepper-sprayed the employee of a Victoria's Secret in Tennessee who tried to stop the heist of 30 pairs of pink panties, police said. The same store was robbed several times in recent years, including a $4,000 heist in 2007.

In 2008, nearly $29,000 worth of lacy things were stolen from two Victoria's Secret stores in Florida and $10,000 worth of panties were stolen from a Victoria's Secret in Washington state.

Similar thefts have been reported from the lingerie chain stores across the country, the Philadelphia Daily News reported Saturday.

The thieves likely are "boosters" -- professional shoplifters who steal products to sell to others in an organized retail-crime community, said Read Hayes, who heads the Loss Prevention Research Council in Florida.

Victoria's Secret officials declined to comment on how much merchandise is stolen from their stores coast-to-coast each year.