SFPD seeking 3 suspects in blessing scam targeting elderly women
SAN FRANCISCO – Police in San Francisco announced Friday that they are searching for at three suspects after two elderly women said they were recently victimized in a blessing scam.
On Jan. 29, an elderly woman told officers at the Central Police Station that she was a victim of the fraud. The woman said that she was walking in the Outer Mission neighborhood on Jan. 25 when a male and female suspect approached her.
During their conversation, a second female suspect joined them and began speaking about evil spirits that would harm the victim. Eventually the suspects convinced the woman to gather her valuables to be blessed.
Police said the suspects followed the victim to her home, where she gathered money and jewelry for the blessing.
The victim did not discover the fraud until she spoke with her family the following day. Police said she realized her valuables were switched with similar weighted items.
A second elderly victim came forward to officers at the Ingleside Police Station on Feb. 1. The victim said she was waiting for the bus in the Excelsior District on Jan. 23 when a male suspect approached her.
Soon after, two female suspects approached. As with the first reported incident, the suspects began talking about evil spirits and convinced the victim that blessing her valuables would ward off the spirits.
In the second incident, one of the female suspects followed the victim home, where the victim gathered money and jewelry. After gathering the valuables, they joined the other suspects on the street where police said a "ceremony" was conducted.
"Days after the blessing the victim opened the bag where she had placed the valuables only to find that her valuables were gone," police said.
Police describe the suspects as a man between the ages of 50 and 60 and two women ranging in age from 30 to 60. All three suspects had black hair, brown eyes and were wearing masks that partially covered their faces.
Along with the three suspects, police are searching for two vehicles and their drivers who may also be involved.
According to District Attorney Brooke Jenkins' office, the scams primarily target monolingual Chinese women. The DA's office has launched a public awareness campaign with several community groups to educate the public about the scams, which are on the rise.
"Unscrupulous scammers are back trying to defraud vulnerable victims in our city," Jenkins said in a statement Thursday. "My office will do everything we can to educate the public to prevent these incidents from happening, and also work to hold perpetrators accountable and ensure that they face consequences for their crimes."
Police said Cantonese speakers can leave information on a special tip line at 415-553-9212 or 1-855-737-3847.
Tips can also be sent in by calling 415-575-4444 or by texting TIP411, beginning the message with "SFPD".