The travelling jewelry bandits have struck again.
The Abbotsford Police Department has received three reports in the last week about the thieves, who were first reported in the community in April.
Const. Ian MacDonald said that in all three incidents, the culprits were described as two men and a woman in a dark-coloured sedan.
The first incident took place last Wednesday, May 22 at about 1:30 p.m. when an 85-year-old man was walking in the 30600 block of Blueridge Drive.
Three people pulled up to him, and the woman got out of the vehicle. MacDonald said the woman told the man that he looked honest, and she wanted to give him some jewelry.
She placed some items on him – later determined to be fake – and the three drove away. The victim then realized his 22-karat gold ring had been stolen.
On Saturday at about the same time of day, a 70-year-old man was walking in the 2500 block of East Bourquin Crescent when similar circumstances happened to him.
This time, it was a man that placed the fake jewelry on him. The victim in this case had $4,800 worth of jewelry taken, including a necklace and bracelet.
The following day, another elderly man was at a gas station when he was approached by the trio, but he left before any further interaction.
MacDonald said the descriptions of the suspects in these three incidents differ slightly from those in April, but police believe they are part of a ring operating in the Lower Mainland.
The Vancouver Police Department issued a press release in April, saying they had investigated 10 incidents since December in which a group of thieves was targeting elderly victims.
Similar reports were received in Abbotsford on April 18 and 22.
Anyone with information or who would like to report suspicious activity is asked to call the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225 or text abbypd (222973).
