NSW police have charged two people over their alleged involvement in a 'spiritual blessings scam' predominantly targeting Asian communities and elderly women.
NSW Police Detective Superintendent Guy Magee said dozens more people are under investigation and labelled the scammers "FIFO (fly in, fly out) criminals" who come to Australia from China for short stints.
"They swarm like a pack of hyenas," Magee said.
"It's their own culture they have inside knowledge of ... they capitalise on the vulnerabilities of that community around superstition", Magee said.
A woman has been charged over allegedly targeting people with a blessings scam in Parramatta, Sydney. Source: Getty / imamember/Getty Images
A man allegedly connected to the scam was arrested at Brisbane airport while attempting to return to China.
Over 80 incidents of spiritual blessing scams have been reported to police and an estimated $3 million in cash and valuables has been stolen.
More than 50 people are believed to be involved in the scam and 11 arrest warrants have been issued.
What are spiritual blessing scams?
Spiritual blessing scammers approach victims in public, often working in pairs or groups.
They will ask a victim if they know a spiritual healer and escalate the conversation, telling the victim their family are in danger and they will need to seek a spiritual blessing.
Often they threaten that the person or their family will be seriously injured if they don't have their wealth blessed.
They tell the victim they need to put their cash and jewellery in a bag and have the bag blessed by a spiritual healer.
The bag is then returned empty.
The reported scams have taken place in multiple areas of Sydney including Ryde, Campsie, Cabramatta, Burwood and Hornsby.
Police say people are likely to have under-reported the issue due to embarrassment over being tricked.
Earlier this year Victorian police said scammers had stolen $200,000 from elderly victims in the Box Hill area through spiritual blessing scams.
'Isolated, vulnerable' victims
Jane Lu is a senior executive officer at Chinese Australian Services Society, an organisation that provides settlement services for Chinese people in Australia.
She says the service has received requests to assist people who have been targeted by spiritual blessing scams.
"These female victims, most of them are the main carer for their family," she told SBS Chinese.
"Most of them are very isolated and face language barriers in Australia. In Chinese culture these women handle the family’s savings and they are targeted because scammers know they will have cash saved at home."
Lu said they are also targeted because of their spiritual beliefs and desire to protect their families.
"[In traditional Chinese culture] we have beliefs that we trust spirits or the ghost exists in another world," she said.
"When someone tells you that your son or daughter will be hurt by the spirits, they try their best to protect their kids".
Lu said victims are often very embarrassed and feel that shame has been brought on their whole family, and can find it difficult to seek help or speak to police.
How to avoid blessing scams
Lu said it's important that people are connected to family and community and that younger family members warn elderly members about scams.
Police have cautioned people against speaking to strangers who ask them for directions to spiritual healers, to not bring them home or hand over any valuables to a stranger.
