Police warn of potential rise in jewelry scams after Vancouver man bilked out of thousands of dollars
A Vancouver man is out thousands of dollars after a jewelry scam in the city’s east side, prompting a warning from police that similar incidents could be on the rise as weather warms up and provincial health restrictions ease.
In a statement Tuesday, the Vancouver Police Department confirms a 61-year-old resident of the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood was ripped off on Monday afternoon.
Police say he was walking near Joyce Street and Vanness Avenue around 3 p.m. that day when a man and a woman in a white SUV approached him, claiming they needed money to feed their kids, and to buy a plane ticket home.
That’s when investigators allege the suspects traded him fake jewelry for $200 in cash, convinced him to take out thousands of dollars more from the bank, and even took him to a grocery store nearby, where he bought them hundreds of dollars in gift cards.
“It was only after the suspects were gone that the victim realized the jewelry was fake and that he’d been duped,” writes the Vancouver Police Department’s Sgt. Steve Addison.
Officers are investigating a similar incident from the same day, where a 51-year-old man was walking by himself near Commercial Drive and Napier Street. Police say a man and woman called him over to a parked car, showed him jewelry and tried to sell it to him.
“Fortunately, this man recognized it was a scam, because he’d seen stories on the local news about similar thefts,” writes Addison. “He confronted the suspects and they fled in a grey hatchback with Manitoba license plates.”
Police suggest that anyone approached by would-be scammers should tell them to leave immediately, then call officers and give them a description of the suspects and their vehicles.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.