Women targeted on streets of Box Hill have lost more than $200,000 to scammers, police say

Supernatural scammers are alleged to have fleeced at least $200,000 from elderly victims in an elaborate plot claiming to rid them of evil spirits.

Police say a group of travelling con artists are targeting elderly Asian women on the streets of Box Hill, in Melbourne’s east, as part of an international “blessings” scam.

It is alleged the women in the group convince the victims that there is a demon spirit following them and that they or a family member is in danger.

The only way to help the victim rid themselves of the spirits, they claim, is to go home and retrieve money and jewellery and bring it back so it can be prayed over.

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When the victim returns they are told to close their eyes while the group prays over the bag, and exchanges the money and jewels for another heavy item.

The victim is told not to look in the bag until they get home and when they finally do, they find their valuables have been stolen.

Det Sen Const Adam Stafford said one of the three victims of the “cruel scam”, which originated in Hong Kong and China, lost valuables worth more than $150,000 – their life savings.

Two others lost as much as $50,000 combined – and there could be more victims who were yet to come forward.

“It’s quite embarrassing for the victims, a lot of these instances are probably being underreported for that reason,” Stafford told reporters in Box Hill on Tuesday.

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Stafford said the alleged victims were aged in their late 70s and 80s and police believed the alleged scammers may be part of a travelling syndicate, with similar incidents reported in New South Wales.

“If your elderly mother or grandmother is attending the Box Hill area, and is of Asian descent, make sure they are aware of this scam as they will most likely be approached,” Stafford said.

Police had increased patrols in the area and sent out warnings in Asian languages, as some of the victim’s do not speak English.

Almost 40% of Box Hill’s population have Asian ancestry and more than 27% of residents speak Mandarin, according to 2021 census data.

Source: www.theguardian.com