Investigators aren’t sure how they are doing it, but a group of identity thieves are taking information from their victims, creating fake checks and buying items at Wal-Mart stores across the southeast.

But police say they should have their answers soon as they close in on the suspects.

Detectives have already talked to three victims across metro Atlanta, but they are certain there are dozens more that have been affected.

One of them is a Henry County couple that went on vacation for two weeks. When they returned, the thieves had their IDs and used fake checks to buy laptops and surveillance equipment at 11 different Wal-Marts across the southeast, including one in Virginia.

"We had been wiped out. . .several thousand dollars," the victim, who did not want to be identified, told Channel 2 Action News. "That's still a big mystery. We don't know how that happened."

Investigators think the suspects are based in the Ellenwood area of Clayton County, but they aren’t sure how they are pulling it off.

"They are very adept at creating checks," Hampton police detective Art Sparks said.

Wal-Mart surveillance cameras have caught four suspects in the act, but police have not identified two of the women and a man.

"He tends to be the one that does all the buying," Sparks said.

Elderly victims tend to be the targets, police said. The suspects always write checks less than $500 to buy electronics at one Wal-Mart and take the goods back to another store for cash.

"They tend to use the identities they steal as far away from the home location of the victim as they can," Sparks said.

Police think the thieves are also stealing IDs from victims out of state, then hitting Wal-Marts around metro Atlanta for the cash. 

Anyone with information is asked to call the Hampton Police Department at 770-946-4513.