Scammers are targeting Asian women in Melbourne, conning them out of thousands of dollars in cash and jewellery.
Elderly Asian women are approached on the street and told their possessions are cursed and must be blessed.
The victims then place the 'cursed' items into a plastic bag, which is unknowingly swapped, and told not to look inside for one month.
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"They are preying on the superstitions within the Chinese community and, on other occasions, people from a Hong Kong background as well," Victorian detective Brad McKenzie told World News Australia.
In one incident that occurred in Melbourne's Preston Market, a 66-year-old Chinese woman was fleeced of over $30,000 of cash and jewels.
Detective McKenzie says the large sums of money that are involved are 'concerning' to police.
Police have linked more than ten thefts in Melbourne to similar crimes in Auckland and San Francisco but New Zealand detective Bonson Nieh believes there are more victims out there.
"They normally feel embarrassed and stupid that they fell for the scam. That's why they're scared to come to us," sats Detective McKenzie.
