Police in Alberta say the public should mind strangers asking for hugs or sharing sob stories after three people were arrested in a string of distraction thefts across Canada.
Edmonton police say officers have received at least 63 reports since May of people having belongings stolen while being distracted by thieves.
Three women were charged with theft last week in an investigation that also involved RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency.
Warrants have been issued for three more believed to be part of the scheme. More are believed to be out there, said Edmonton police Const. Shiva Shunmugam.
At a Tuesday news conference, Shunmugam said the suspects are believed to be connected to similar thefts from B.C. to Toronto.
“It’s not limited to Alberta,” he said. “It’s Canada-wide.”
The tactic, they say, is straightforward.
The thieves, acting in groups resembling families, approach vulnerable people in places from grocery stores to parking lots to strike up a conversation — going as far as asking for a hug or having them “bless” jewelry.
But during the interaction, Shunmugam said, the thieves will steal the victim’s jewelry and flee in a vehicle, often branded with a licence plate from B.C., Ontario or Quebec.
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It’s an alarming trend that police say is taking place from coast to coast.
RCMP in British Columbia have said several thefts took place earlier this summer, where a woman showered vulnerable seniors with compliments while a male accomplice attempted to replace the expensive jewelry with near worthless dupes.
Ottawa police put out a call last month for the public’s help after a man and woman in their 90s had their rings and necklaces snatched.
In Winnipeg, two men believed to be part of a travelling jewelry scam were charged in similar distraction thefts in recent months. In one case, the man had a child with him and gave a fake story about needing money to travel, offering up fake gold jewelry.
One case in Edmonton saw a 70-year-old woman have her gold necklace stolen after a man told her she looked like his deceased grandmother.
Asked why the CBSA was involved with the investigation in Edmonton, Shunmugam confirmed that some of the suspects have claimed protected status. Canada grants protected status to people deemed to be in need of protection or who are refugees fleeing persecution in their home country.
He also said there was a “strong nexus” between the suspects but would not confirm whether they were blood-related.
“This particular group is transient in nature, so it’s very hard for us to narrow [down] on them because they … move quickly,” Shunmugam said. “All I can say is that they live together [and] move together in most occurrences.”
Shunmugam said the thieves are exploiting people’s trust and that victims have been emotionally impacted, with one recent victim saying she feels too traumatized to leave her home.
“Don’t let people in your personal space,” he said.
“If somebody is … overtly friendly to you and trying to enter and breach your personal space by confusing you, tell them to stop and [that] you will call police.”
