Vancouver police have issued a warning about a series of scams targeting the Chinese Canadian community they say have cost victims a combined $6 million.
Const. Tania Visintin said Vancouver police are investigating 26 incidences of the scams going back to the start of the year.
“The suspects in these scams prey on the vulnerability of the elderly,” she said.
“Typically the elderly are very kind, trustworthy, forthcoming and they want to help. Those are all great qualities to have, but in this case, it is being used against them.”
Victims have fallen prey to three distinct styles of scam, she said.
The first involves fraudsters phoning the victims and pretending to be Chinese police. The victims are told they are in trouble with the law unless they transfer money to a bank in Hong Kong.
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The second scam, known as a “blessing scam,” involves the fraudsters warning the victims something bad will happen to them or a loved one.
“And they have to pay the suspect in either money or in jewellery,” Visintin said. “And in return, the victim ends up getting some kind of useless jewellery or item.”
The third scam involves Chinese-language posters placed around the city advertising art or jewellery-making jobs that pay between $100 and $300 per day.
When the victims phone the number on the poster, they are instead entrapped into an investment or romance scam, Visintin said.
Visintin said the VPD’s financial crimes unit is working the case, but that often the associated phone numbers are based overseas.
Police are urging people to speak to the seniors in their lives to warn them against the scams and to ensure they are being vigilant.
Anyone who believes they have been victimized by a scam is asked to contact the Vancouver police non-emergency line.