2 months ago
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More than $3 million in cash and valuables has allegedly been stolen from elderly Chinese women in a widespread spiritual blessing scam, as police charge a woman in the ongoing investigation.
Yuee Ruan was arrested at Sydney International Airport on Thursday evening and later charged with several offences relating to a scam that allegedly targeted an elderly woman in Parramatta last month.
The 63-year-old woman was arrested at Sydney International Airport on Thursday evening. Credit: NSW Police
The 63-year-old was charged with dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception, contributing to the criminal activity of a group and demanding property in company with menace and intent to steal. She was refused bail and will appear before Parramatta Local Court on Friday.
Police will allege there have been at least 80 instances of the scam across Sydney since 2023. The plot generally targets elderly Chinese women and exploits their cultural fears to encourage them to hand over money and valuables, including jewellery.
Scammers approach vulnerable women in public and convince them they need to have their money or belongings blessed to protect their families from spirits that could lay curses or cause illness.
The possessions are collected in bags and taken away, where police will allege they were swapped out for items of no value, before the scammers returned the bags to the women and encouraged them not to look inside for extended periods.
The reported scams have taken place across the city, including incidents in the Ryde, Burwood, Parramatta and Hornsby areas.
Investigations are continuing, as police allege Ruan was a member of a group carrying out the scams.
Police have been investigating the “Chinese blessing scams” since July 2023, issuing a warning last October that urged people not to provide any information or give any items if approached by someone trying to “frighten them for a spiritual reason”.
Two incidents from last year were detailed in the warning.
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In September, a 76-year-old woman in Campsie was told her daughter would be seriously injured if her wealth wasn’t blessed. In May, a 71-year-old woman was approached by three women in Cabramatta and told that her son would be in a car accident in three days if spirits weren’t dispelled.
The women involved in both incidents were described as being aged in their 40s and of Asian appearance.
As investigations continue, police are warning the public to remain vigilant of the threat, and to beware of unknown people seeking access to money and valuables. They have also appealed for any other victims of the same to come forward.
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