San Francisco police have arrested a 68-year-old man in connection with a pair of "blessing scams" that targeted elderly victims in the city earlier this year.
Chen Kun Lo was taken into custody on Feb. 26 in Los Angeles on felony charges of possession of stolen property and possession of child pornography, authorities said.
Lo is suspected of being involved in two incidents in January where elderly victims were approached by strangers who convinced them to bring out their valuables to be "blessed" in a ceremony, according to the San Francisco Police Department. The victims later discovered their cash, jewelry and other valuables had been switched or stolen.
In one case, on Jan. 23, a woman waiting for a bus in the Excelsior District was approached by Lo and two other suspects, who persuaded her to retrieve valuables from her home. In a second incident on Jan. 25, a woman walking alone in the Outer Mission was lured into an alley by Lo and other suspects, who had her gather her money and jewelry to be "blessed," the department said.
Investigators located a vehicle connected to the crimes and executed a search warrant, seizing evidence linking it to the blessing scams, police said. They also obtained an arrest warrant for Lo.
When Lo was arrested in Southern California last month, police say they found him in possession of items believed stolen from the victims, as well as child pornography.
Other suspects remain at large. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the department's tip line.
The blessing-scam targets have typically been elderly Asian victims in several U.S. cities.