Police are warning motorists to be vigilant after a woman had her purse stolen in a car park in Spalding.
The warning follows an incident in the middle of January in Holland Market, where a woman was approached by a smartly dressed man of Asian appearance.
She later found her purse missing from the car.
Although this may be a one-off incident, there have been reports of a men approaching women as they return to their vehicles and producing a large map asking for directions to Oxford.
It is believed there may have been similar incidents in other force areas.
A spokesman said: “Whilst the victim is assisting the male it is believed that another person enters the vehicle and removes the contents.”
Anyone who has seen anything suspicious is asked to call police on 101.