Residents of Frisco are on high alert as police warn of a recent string of jewelry thefts targeting elderly residents.
A news release from the City of Frisco on April 25 warned residents that Frisco PD had logged nine incidents of jewelry theft since the start of the month.
Victims were approached at all times of the day in open areas when they were wearing visible jewelry.
The suspect allegedly approaches victims and engages them in conversation. Afterward, the suspect allegedly comes even closer to the victims, such as feigning a hug, in order to steal the piece of jewelry.
The release noted that Frisco PD investigated jewelry thefts with a similar MO last fall.
Officers even arranged a town hall in late November to alert the community about ongoing crime in Frisco and discuss ways to avoid becoming a crime victim, per NBC 5.
According to an anonymous resident of the Villages of Stonelake, who wished to remain unidentified for safety reasons, the culprit or culprits have been mostly targeted elderly South Asian women, per NBC 5.
“It’s becoming a predictable pattern,” said the anonymous resident, per NBC 5.
His mother-in-law was targeted while visiting from India last August, the resident explained.
As captured by a nearby Ring camera, a male driver in a black Chevy Traverse halted the mother-in-law and her husband at the intersection of Medallion Lane and Starry Night Lane.
While the male driver distracted the father-in-law by requesting directions to the hospital for his pregnant wife. Meanwhile, the female passenger approached the mother-in-law and placed fake jewelry on her.
The mother-in-law, who had no idea of the deceitful plot, only realized later that her own gold necklace, which was a valuable wedding gift, was missing.
While Frisco PD continues to investigate the recent thefts, residents are encouraged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately by calling 972-292-6010 or texting 847411.
In a recent news release, the authorities also recommended keeping your valuables out of sight, not allowing strangers into your personal space, and keeping your eyes and ears open.
The elderly are often targeted by criminals of all sorts.
Approximately $1.7 billion in losses suffered by over 92,000 victims aged 60 and up were logged by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2021 alone.
As The Dallas Express reported, scammers popularly known as “yahoo-boys” dupe elderly females who they connected with via dating sites into sending them money.
While Frisco PD aims to put a stop to these jewelry thefts, nearby Dallas continues to struggle with all kinds of crime.
So far this year, Dallas PD has logged 579 incidents of personal theft as well as 115 thefts targeting businesses, per the crime statistics dashboard.
