The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is issuing a public warning after 11 reports of distraction theft were made between June and July alone, contributing to the 35 cases in Vancouver in 2026, with losses in excess of $245,000.
Sgt. Tim Russell of the VPD Robbery, Assault, and Arson unit says the thieves involved in these incidents are part of organized crime rings.
“They often criss-cross across Canada in rental vehicles, robbing seniors along the way,” Russell said.
“While we have seen a reduction of these incidents in Vancouver over this last year, one victim is too many.”
One of said victims is 72-year-old Janice Yang, who was targeted in front of her home June 12, resulting in the brazen theft of her necklace.
“A lady came out of the vehicle [and] came up to my mom while she was gardening,” said Yang’s Son, Phillip Yang.
“The lady grabbed my mom’s chain, and she pushed my mom down. They saw the licence plate, and they recorded that incident and shared it with police.”
A separate incident on July 14 was reported to police after a 76-year-old woman was targeted by a group in a vehicle. The suspect approached the victim, said she looked like her mother, and leaned in to give her a hug. It was in that moment when her gold necklace, which had two rings attached, was stolen and replaced with a fake.
“Traditionally, it’s sleight of hand, it’s distraction in putting fake jewelry on you and in the process they remove the real jewelry from the victim,” Russell said.
“If there’s any sort of pushback, now we are starting to see, ‘I’m taking the necklace, and I’m ripping it off from you.”
These distraction thefts are separate from the blessing scams CityNews reported on last week targeting Chinese seniors in Vancouver. Those crimes prey on the fear of cultural traditions that make people believe that if their valuables are not blessed, a terrible misfortune or curse will fall upon them.
While both these crimes prey on the elderly, they aren’t believed to be connected.
The VPD is reminding seniors to be vigilant, conceal valuables, maintain physical boundaries, and gain the attention of bystanders if they feel threatened or targeted. As well, they should always call 911 to report any incidents or robbery attempts.
