Crime & Law
Elderly Residents Being Targeted in ‘Blessing Scams’ in Chinatown
At least five women in Chicago’s Deering Police District have fallen victim to a so-called “blessing scam” that’s targeted the city’s elderly Chinese community.
All five cases follow a similar formula: A victim is approached on the street by two to three scammers who gain their target’s trust before inviting them to participate in a cleansing or blessing ceremony to stave off a future misfortune.
The ceremony requires the victim to place money and belongings in a bag, which they’re not supposed to open for several days or tell their family or friends about. Once they go to open the bag, they find that it’s empty and all they’ve been left with is “blessed water.”
One victim lost $30,000 — her life savings — and gold jewelry that has been in her family for generations.
“We’ve been sharing a lot about phone and text scams, but people are less on guard when they talk to a real person,” said Grace Chan McKibben, the executive director of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC).
The coalition published an advisory in Chinese after a victim came to the office, asking for her story to be amplified so that monolingual residents in the community could be made aware. Two other victims came forward quickly after.
The perpetrators still haven’t been identified.
Photos show the scammers as two to three women, aged 30 to 40 years old, wearing hats, long-sleeve shirts and N95 masks.
Other Chinatowns across the country like those in Seattle, San Francisco and New York City have seen similar scams, as well as across the pond in London.
“We suspect that there are other victims out there who just aren’t talking about it,” said Ald. Nicole Lee (11th Ward). “The best thing we can do for the community right now is spread awareness.”
The alderperson’s office has been working with local police and the financial crimes unit, which are investigating.
No new reports have been made since late August.
