Police say bracelet scammers targeting Vancouver’s unlucky Chinese seniors

VANCOUVER – Vancouver Police are warning the public, especially the Chinese community, about a group of scammers targeting senior citizens.

The group recently tricked a senior into paying $16,000 for a pair of supposedly lucky jade bracelets.

The grifters, all Asian women speaking Cantonese, worked a complicated scheme on the victim starting with asking directions to a jewellery store to pawn the bracelets.

Second and third suspects posing as passing pedestrians then talked up the value and supernatural powers of the bracelets, convincing the woman it was bad luck not to buy them.

Eventually the woman was convinced to pay $16,000 dollars for the pair.

Police say similar scams have taken place in San Francisco and Seattle and the department is asking any other possible victims to come forward.