An 85-year-old Port Coquitlam man was allegedlyrobbed last Wednesday and the suspects employed similar tactics to other reported cases in August.
On the morning of Oct. 9, the local senior was trying to buy a newspaper at a store when he was approached by four people, two men and two women, travelling in a dark-coloured sedan.
The group told the man they wanted to give him something, and started to adorn him with two golden-coloured rings and a necklace. They drove off saying "God bless you" to the victim.
The man thought it strange and reported it to police officers at the Mary Hill Community Police Station, where he noticed his own 20-inch gold chain, with a gold-plated tab with the name "Karl" engraved into it, and a gold wedding band with a single diamond, had disappeared.
The victim told police the dark-skinned men and women were between 50 and 60 years old, the men had short black curly hair, and the women were each wearing a scarf around their heads, covering their dark hair.
"The victim did the right thing by reporting it to the police," said Coquitlam RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jamie Chung.
"Thieves use a number of tactics to distract the victim and giving you gifts is one of the ways. It often happens very quickly with the victim only realizing what happened sometime later."
Chung added that in recent months police have received other similar reports of this type of scam.
Don't let strangers into your personal space, he said, and to keep jewelry concealed when in public. Anyone with information should call 604-945-1550 and quote file number 2013-30073.
