Man extradited over $3 million ‘Chinese blessing scam’ targeting elderly women as police hunt seven others
A man accused of defrauding a 77-year-old woman as part of a $3 million ‘Chinese blessing scam’ syndicate will face court today, as police appealing for public help to locate seven other suspects.
Police & Courts
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A man accused of fleecing an elderly Sydney woman as part of a brazen $3 million “Chinese blessing scam” has been extradited from Queensland and will face court on Wednesday, as police appeal to help locate seven others wanted over the widespread fraud operation.
The 62-year-old man was arrested by Australian Federal Police at Brisbane Airport on Friday and extradited to Sydney on Tuesday following an appearance in Brisbane Magistrates Court. He was taken to Mascot Police Station and charged with multiple offences, including obtaining financial advantage by deception and participating in a criminal group.
Police will allege the man was involved in a scam last month in Parramatta, where a 77-year-old woman was conned into handing over cash and jewellery to have it “blessed” to protect her family from spirits. The items were then replaced with worthless substitutes.
The scam – which has targeted more than 80 elderly women of Chinese background across suburbs including Ryde, Burwood, Parramatta and Hornsby – exploits cultural beliefs and fears.
Victims are typically approached in public and convinced that their families are in spiritual danger unless their wealth is blessed in a ritual. They are then tricked into handing over valuables in bags, which are later returned filled with worthless items and instructed not to open them for days.
Police say more than $3 million worth of money and valuables have been stolen since July 2023.
The man was refused bail and is due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.
His arrest and extradition come as Strike Force Sentinel detectives release images of seven people wanted on outstanding warrants in relation to the same scam syndicate.
They include:
Yuefen Su, 51, about 150cm tall, with long black hair and brown eyes
Yueping Wen, 50, with black hair and brown eyes
Xuebing Chen, 55, with shoulder-length curly black hair and brown eyes
Xiaokun Gu, 50, with dark brown hair and brown eyes
Zuping Huang, 55, with short black hair and brown eyes
Mingzhen Liu, 71, with short curly brown hair and brown eyes
Weining Ren, 39, with long black hair and brown eyes
Anyone with information about their whereabouts is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Strike Force Sentinel was established by the North West Metropolitan Region in April to investigate the so-called “Chinese blessing scams” after a spike in reports across Sydney.
Detectives have issued a fresh warning to the community to stay vigilant, urging residents – particularly elderly members of the Chinese community – to avoid engaging with strangers who claim to know a Chinese doctor or spiritual healer, ask for directions to a spiritual service, encourage them to bring money or jewellery for a blessing and tell them to keep the exchange a secret or delay opening bags of valuables.
Anyone who may have been victim of a ‘blessing scam’ is urged to make a report to police. All reports are managed in a confidential manner and police use tools such as Language + App for a more effective communication with non-English speaking victims.
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