Elderly people in Brampton are being targeted for their jewelry in a series of “distraction thefts,” police are warning.

Peel police have received multiple reports of elderly people in the community being targeted while walking alone, according to a news release issued Tuesday.

Suspects in the incidents begin talking to the victims, often asking them to come closer to a vehicle, with language barriers sometimes making it hard for victims to understand what’s being said, police said. When the victim approaches, police said suspects have either snatched or secretly swapped their jewelry before fleeing.

Other times, police said, a female suspect has first engaged the elderly person, either striking up a conversation or asking for help, before a male suspect has come out of a nearby vehicle

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