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In a relatively bizarre crime wave, bandits have been stripping Victoria's Secret stores around the nation of the bras, which retail for between $40 and $80. In one recent hit, an unidentified woman stole 160 bras valued at nearly $6,000 from a mall in Estero, Fla.

These thieves are no boobs -- they've struck stores there six times since February, snatching 452 bras at a cost of nearly $19,000. Lingerie has also been lifted from stores in Decatur, Ala.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Media, Pa. and Flagstaff, Ariz.

Though large-scale bra lifts have been going on for some time, the crime rate has picked up as the economy has faltered. Experts say lingerie is a prime target because it's relatively easy to steal and resell.

Some of the skivvies-snatchers, such as George Tutaya, 41, who was recently arrested in New York, try to unload the goods through online stores like eBay for half the price.

"The particular item certainly could have its value in the black market, if you will. It's certainly an unusual crime," Estero sheriff's office spokesman Sgt. Larry King told the Naples News.

Still, the pilfering isn't surprising -- the financial squeeze has been steering everyday folks to steal for months. When gas prices soared, there were reports of people siphoning fuel from their own neighbors' cars. Last week, the LAPD called copper wire thefts in their city "epidemic."

Tell us: Would the hard economic times make you buy anything from the black market?