Police warn of 'Chinese evil spirits scam'

By Sam Cooley, Ottawa Sun

First posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 10:00 PM EST | Updated: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 10:03 PM EST 

Elderly Chinese women may be getting duped into bringing valuables to a fake doctor promising to "cleanse them of evil spirits."
The Chinese evil spirits scam is happening in other Canadian jurisdictions, according to police, who are worried it may be in Ottawa.
Unsuspecting victims -- in their inner search to get rid of bad omens -- are instructed to place gold, jewels and other valuables in a bag so it can get "blessed" to remove evil spirits.
But then the bag is swapped out with an empty one and the scammers get away.
The scheme typically requires the victim to be convinced of its authenticity by a "well organized" group of swindlers.
First, the victim is approached by a supposed spiritual doctor or traditional herbalist who promises to cleanse the individual of evil spirits. Another con man nearby vouches for the fake doctor in an effort to gain credibility with the victim. Throughout, the victim is led to believe it's just a series of chance encounters.
Anyone with information with respect to this scam is asked to contact the Ottawa Police organized fraud section at 613-236-1222 ext. 5292. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or by downloading the Ottawa police app.

http://www.ottawasun.com/2015/11/17/police-warn-of-chinese-evil-spirits-scam