Vancouver police are warning residents—particularly seniors—to be vigilant after a string of distraction theft and blessing scams left victims out thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry. The Vancouver Police Department issued the warning Thursday, after three incidents targeting seniors were reported over a span of three days.Police said two elderly women fell victim to separate so-called blessing scams. The first occurred on Monday, when one of the seniors was talked into bringing her valuables to a spiritualist near East 27th Avenue on Victoria Drive. A group of three women who have yet to be identified allegedly persuaded the victim to bring $7,000 in cash, gold jewelry and identification to be blessed. “The victim obliged and handed her items over to the women, who then returned what she believed to be her valuables in a bag with the instructions to open the bag after three days,” the VPD said in a news release. “The victim later discovered that her items had been swapped with water bottles.” Police said the second blessing scam took place near Oppenheimer Park on Wednesday, when a senior was convinced by three suspects to take $70,000 in cash out of her bank’s safety deposit box. In that case, the victim later discovered that the money she thought was being blessed for “good luck” had been swapped out for three bags of corn starch. Authorities said the suspects in both incidents spoke Cantonese and the cases remain under investigation. “We are encouraging our community members to engage in discussions with their elderly family members,” Const. Darren Wong said in the release. “These fraud artists are exploiting cultural beliefs in spiritual protection and we need to do our part to protect our elderly.” The VPD said it is also investigating a distraction theft that occurred just before noon on Wednesday in the area of Victoria Drive and East 28th Avenue. The victim contacted police after he said he was working in his front yard when a black Kia Sportage SUV approached him. “The male driver allegedly rolled down his window and offered the victim a gold chain. While the victim was distracted, a female passenger in the back seat grabbed the victim’s gold chain necklace, breaking it and stealing a piece of it,” police said. Officers said the victim was not hurt in the incident and that the suspects fled the scene eastbound on East 27th Avenue. The case remains under investigation, police said. “If you have elderly loved ones and neighbours, they may be at risk of distraction theft,” Wong added. “We can all do our part to protect them by reaching out and discussing simple prevention tactics.” Police provided the following tips on how to help keep seniors safe from falling victim to these types of scams: Anyone with information, CCTV or dash-cam video regarding any of the incidents is asked to contact the Vancouver Police Department.
