More than a dozen distraction thefts since Jan. 1: Surrey Police Service

Police in Surrey are the latest to issue a warning about distraction thefts after they say more than a dozen incidents have been reported since the beginning of the year.

In a statement Thursday, Sgt. Tige Pollock explains that while locations, suspects, and vehicle descriptions vary, the way in which the thefts have been done are all similar.

Some common features of the thefts include:

“One or more persons approach a victim and advise them they need gas and convince the victim to provide them with money on the spot or to withdraw cash from their bank accounts,” Pollock said.

“One or more persons approach a victim and attempt to sell them gold jewellery or an iPhone. After the transaction, the victims discover that the gold is fake and the phone does not function.

“One or more persons approach a victim and during their interaction remove the victims’ jewellery and replace it with costume jewellery.”

The SPS and the RCMP’s Surrey Provincial Operations Support Unit (SPOSU) are actively investigating the incidents.

In the meantime, police are asking the public to “be aware of their surroundings and to familiarize themselves with these current crime M.O.’s.”

“If anyone notices suspicious persons or vehicles following them, they should contact SPS immediately. Finally, SPS is discouraging the public from purchasing any items from strangers who approach them in public or from non-trusted sources.”

The warning of thefts comes just weeks after police in Richmond issued a similar advisory. On Feb. 6, the RCMP responded to a report of a theft in progress. The victim alleges she was sitting in her vehicle when a woman knocked on her window and claimed the vehicle had a punctured tire.

“When the victim exited to check the tire, the [male] suspect approached and allegedly grabbed her purse from the front seat,” Richmond Mounties said last month.