LAPD warns elderly about trick thieves are using to steal jewelry
As summer approaches, the Los Angeles Police Department held a meeting on Tuesday to warn elderly residents about a sleight-of-hand trick thieves are using to steal jewelry without their victims ever noticing.
The ruse typically involves a pair of people, sometimes with Eastern European accents, approaching their victims with friendly but fabricated stories or questions. They typically offer gifts, such as fake pieces of jewelry, according to the LAPD. Detectives said there's typically an uptick in these types of crimes in the summer.
In the first four months of the year, the LAPD has received more than 140 cases regarding this type of theft:
- 86 in the San Fernando Valley area
- 23 in the West Bureau, which handles areas such as West LA, Hollywood, Koreatown and Venice
- 21 in the downtown area
- 12 in the South LA area
Two weeks ago, a security camera caught the moment two thieves in a black SUV pulled the truck on a 75-year-old grandfather in Chatsworth. They were able to steal the man's gold cross necklace after asking him for directions.
After hearing them out, the suspects gave him a fake chain. He said a woman in the back of the SUV asked him for a hug and put the chain around his neck, while quickly removing the real one, worth thousands of dollars, and driving away.
The LAPD also released security camera video and photos during the press conference, showing two women suspected of stealing jewelry in the San Fernando Valley while using rented SUVs.
Resident Karen Stein said the same thing happened to her elderly parents last month in Woodland Hills. Her parents didn't realize they had been scammed with fake jewelry until the next day.
"The woman told my mom that it was her birthday and they're from Dubai," Stein said. "There's this tradition they have of giving people a gift on their birthday."
She said she gifted her father the necklace several years ago. Stein said her parents didn't report the crime because they were embarrassed.
Detectives believe a large network is operating out of Irvine, and the sheriff's department is hoping to identify the suspects.
