Distraction thieves target seniors on streets: police
A particularly blatant theft tactic, aimed at senior citizens, has emerged on Vancouver streets in recent weeks.
Thieves zero in on seniors who are wearing jewelry that is visible, engage them in conversation, distract them and find a way to get into the senior’s personal space to make contact and slip a ring or necklace off their person.
“Horrible,” said Queenie Choo, CEO of the social-services agency SUCCESS. “How can people prey on people’s vulnerabilities and snatch jewelry, or whatever valuables, on the street like that.”
Vancouver police have had eight reports of what they call distraction thefts, or attempted thefts, since late May, several targeting seniors whose first language was not English. Most have been on the city’s east side. Choo said SUCCESS is willing to work with police to get the warning out to the seniors agencies under its umbrella, but hopes the police outreach will involve a multilingual approach.
Vancouver police Const. Jason Doucette said in some instances thieves offered free or inexpensive jewelry to make contact, in others they appeared frantic and asked for directions. In all cases, they tend to “overwhelm” the victim.
On May 22, near East First Avenue and Renfrew, a 70-year-old woman of Chinese descent was approached in her driveway by two people who began placing rings on her hands and a necklace around her neck. After they left she discovered they got away with her expensive necklace.
In an attempted theft May 30, Doucette said an 80-year-old Italian-speaking woman was approached by a woman who had stopped a car and frantically asked for directions to a hospital.
The senior was helpful, Doucette said.
But she fended off the woman with her cane when the would-be thief went to hug her and tried to take off her necklace.
“She hit the suspect, who ran off, who said, ‘I’m so sorry, please don’t call the police, don’t call the police,’” Doucette said.
Doucette said a man then got out of the car and pleaded with the 80-year-old to not call the police, but again tried to overwhelm her, touching her hands and tried to take her rings, without success.
“These thieves are smooth and quickly get into your personal space,” Doucette said.
Police aren’t releasing descriptions of vehicles or thieves because they believe more than one group is at work and Doucette said they are asking anyone else who might have been victimized but hadn’t reported it to come forward now.
The distraction-theft tactic described is one that anyone could fall for, said B.C. Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie, but some senior citizens might be more vulnerable to being approached and engaged in a conversation.
“The trend line is showing an increase in crime against those 65 or over,” Mackenzie said. “We do have to be aware of that.”
Mackenzie’s office has started collecting data on crimes against seniors.
While numbers are small, Mackenzie said RCMP figures showed a 73 per cent rise in property crimes against those 65 and older between 2009 and 2016.
Vancouver police statistics indicate a 70 per cent increase in financial abuse against seniors over the same period, Mackenzie said.
Distraction thefts, like the ones occurring in Vancouver, are up 14 per cent over that period, Mackenzie said.
“I don’t know what the solution is because the dystopian world where we all mistrust each other and can’t strike up a conversation is not a world we want to live in either,” Mackenzie said, but added that everyone could be doing a better job of raising public awareness.