Charmaine de Silva | Email news tips to charmaine.desilva@corusent.com
6/28/2012
Police are warning Vancouver’s Chinese community about a scam that's made its way back to town, after going up and down the West Coast.
Sgt. Joe Chu says a roving band of three women scammers convinced a 59-year-old woman to buy a jade bracelet that supposedly has mystical powers.
Chu says the victim is out $15,000 and is too embarrassed to cooperate with police.
“Partly, that’s due to culture. The elderly Chinese may be more susceptible to superstitious beliefs and just coercion, that type of thing. They're also more trusting. We found that across the board – whether they're Chinese or western victims."
The last time Vancouver police issued a similar warning was in 2008 – with similar incidents in San Francisco and Seattle.
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