Burnaby RCMP warn of distraction thefts robbing seniors of heirloom jewelry

Lauren Vanderdeen · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 19, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 19

A flurry of "distraction thefts" successful Burnaby, B.C., person led constabulary to renew warnings to seniors astir the circumstantial benignant of transgression happening astir the Lower Mainland.

Burnaby RCMP accidental 3 thefts successful the past fewer weeks person resulted successful 2 victims losing household heirlooms.

Each of the reported thefts involved an aged victim, according to Burnaby RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Michael Kalanj. All 3 were besides female, but Kalanj said constabulary deliberation that's due to the fact that they were visibly wearing jewelry.

"The suspects are casing retired areas," Kalanj said. "They're uncovering radical connected the street, oregon successful their gait doing gardening, oregon conscionable retired and about, that they tin archer are wearing jewelry.

"To marque it worse, they're benignant of looking for radical ... that mightiness beryllium wearing heirlooms, costly jewelry that others mightiness lone deterioration connected peculiar occasions."

Kalanj said successful each case, a car pulled up and a pistillate jumped out, portion a antheral waited successful the driver's seat. The pistillate overwhelmed the unfortunate by speaking accelerated and exchanged the existent jewelry for astir worthless jewelry.

The corporal said that the suspects were choosing victims that don't talk English arsenic good arsenic others.

"And earlier you cognize it, they're close successful their face. They're flattering them, telling them beauteous things: 'You punctual maine of (my) mother' … And arsenic they're putting connected a worthless necklace, they're rapidly taking the household heirloom and costly jewelry disconnected of our victims."

Two of the victims mislaid heirloom necklaces successful the thefts, constabulary say.

"The 3rd person, who we'll commend, made a stink, conscionable started yelling, managed to support their necklace, and the fishy drove off," Kalanj told CBC News.

He recommended if anyone faces specified a situation, to marque a country by yelling and "create witnesses."

"Don't consciousness embarrassed and telephone the constabulary close away," Kalanj said.

Cases reported crossed Lower Mainland

Police don't deliberation it's the aforesaid radical progressive successful the antithetic thefts.

Kalanj said the suspected thieves are apt successful interaction with each different and could beryllium portion of the aforesaid network.

"We deliberation there's radical each implicit the Lower Mainland that are conscionable trying to instrumentality vantage of immoderate of the good-natured seniors that we person successful our community," the spokesperson said.

In March, the Surrey Police Service besides warned the nationalist astir distraction thefts.

Surrey constabulary said immoderate of the communal methods included radical approaching a unfortunate and asking for wealth for gas, oregon attempting to merchantability golden jewelry oregon an iPhone.

The Vancouver Police Department has said distraction thefts person been occurring successful the metropolis for years.

In 2018, the department produced a societal media video informing of distraction thefts.

"We person not made immoderate arrests, but investigations into these files are precise overmuch progressive and ongoing," Const. Tania Visintin told CBC News successful an emailed statement.

Family members are being encouraged to talk with seniors and sermon what distraction thefts are and however to enactment safe.