{"id":160326,"date":"2025-08-20T05:43:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T05:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/160326\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T05:43:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T05:43:16","slug":"edmonton-police-warn-people-to-be-on-the-lookout-for-a-group-of-hugging-bandits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/160326\/","title":{"rendered":"Edmonton police warn people to be on the lookout for a group of hugging bandits"},"content":{"rendered":"

Police in Alberta say the public should mind strangers asking for hugs or sharing sob stories after three people were arrested in a string of \u201cdistraction\u201d thefts<\/a> across Canada.<\/p>\n

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Edmonton police say officers have received at least 63 reports since May of people having belongings stolen while being distracted by thieves.<\/p>\n

Three women were charged with theft last week in an investigation that also involved RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency. Warrants have been issued for three more believed to be part of the scheme.<\/p>\n

More are believed to be out there, said Edmonton police Const. Shiva Shunmugam.<\/p>\n

At a Tuesday news conference, Shunmugam said the suspects are believed to be connected to similar thefts from B.C. to Toronto.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not limited to Alberta,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s Canada-wide.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The tactic, they say, is straightforward. The thieves, acting in groups resembling families, approach vulnerable people in places from grocery stores to parking lots to strike up a conversation \u2014 going as far as asking for a hug or having them \u201cbless\u201d jewelry.<\/p>\n

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But during the interaction, Shunmugam said, the bandits will steal the victim\u2019s jewelry and flee in a vehicle, often branded with a licence plate from B.C., Ontario or Quebec.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an alarming trend that police say is taking place from coast to coast.<\/p>\n

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RCMP in British Columbia have said several thefts took place earlier this summer, where a woman showered vulnerable seniors with compliments while a male accomplice attempted to replace the expensive jewelry with near-worthless dupes.<\/p>\n

Ottawa police put out a call last month for the public\u2019s help after a man and woman in their 90s had their rings and necklaces snatched.<\/p>\n

In Winnipeg, two men believed to be part of a travelling jewelry scam, were charged in similar distraction thefts in recent months. In one case, the man had a child with him and gave a fake story about needing money to travel, offering up fake gold jewelry.<\/p>\n

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