Vancouver police are warning the public again about distraction thefts and blessing scams that are targeting seniors.
Three incidents have been reported in Vancouver over the past few days.
“If you have elderly loved ones and neighbours, they may be at risk for distraction theft,” said Cst. Darren Wong. “We can all do our part to protect them by reaching out and discussing simple prevention tactics.”
On June 3, an elderly victim reported to Vancouver Police Department (VPD) that they had been a victim of a distraction theft on Victoria Drive close to East 28th Avenue.
The victim was working in their front yard when a black Kia Sportage SUV drove up. The driver allegedly rolled down his window and offered the victim a gold chain.
While the victim was distracted, a woman in the backseat grabbed the victim’s own gold chain necklace, breaking it in the process and taking a piece of it.
On June 1, an elderly woman was persuaded by three unidentified women to bring about $7,000 cash, gold jewelry, and identification to be blessed by a “spiritualist” on Victoria Drive, near East 27th Avenue.
The victim handed over her items to the women, who then returned what she thought to be her valuables in a bag with the instructions to not open the bag for three days.
When the victim opened the bag, her belongings had been replaced by water bottles.
On June 3, on the Downtown Eastside, an elderly woman was persuaded by three suspects to withdraw $70,000 of cash out of her safety deposit box in exchange for her money to be blessed for good luck.
The victim later discovered her money had been swapped for three bags of cornstarch.
In both blessing scams, the suspects spoke Cantonese.
All three incidents are under investigation.
“Similar to distraction thefts, we are encouraging our community members to engage in discussions with their elderly family members,” says Cst. Darren Wong.
“These fraud artists are exploiting cultural beliefs in spiritual protection and we need to do our part to protect our elderly.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the VPD.