'Sliders' at gas stations target distracted women

Police around the country are warning women to be wary of "sliders," criminals who sneak into unlocked cars at gas stations and day care centers to steal purses and other property.

Sliders can be seen in action on gas station surveillance video from around the country. Unsuspecting women get out of their cars to pump gas and don't notice when the petty thieves sidle quietly to the passenger side of their car to grab a purse.

"They say it's sliding because they're sliding below the eye level of the door," Houston police officer Jim Woods told KPRC.

Victims often don't realize they've been robbed.

“They’re not looking for a confrontation,” Woods said of the perpetrators. “They just want the property, because they know it’s being left abandoned and you’re not paying enough attention.”

Houston police say they've seen an increase in sliding over the last three years -- and they're warning people to lock car doors, even if you're just a few steps away.