A Calgary senior hopes the loss of a prized pendant to distraction thieves will serve as a reminder for other citizens to be on the lookout for scammers.

Ten days ago, Judith, 79, who didn’t want her last name or picture used as she was concerned about retaliation, was walking down her alley in the northeast community of Castleridge, on her way to get the mail. As she was halfway to the boxes, a white car turned into the alley and pulled up beside her.

“The lady on the far side said, ‘Oh my god, do you ever look like my mother?’  I said, ‘really?’ She says, ‘Yes’. Then the other two chime in about it like that, too,” Judith told LWC.

That’s when Judith said the male driver held up a cheap-looking necklace.

“He says, ‘I want you to have this,’ and the next thing I know he’s fumbling around my neck to put it on me,” Judith recalled.

Around a week earlier, Judith said she’d had her hair cut shorter, so he may have been able to see the clasp of the necklace she was wearing on the back of her neck.

“I had my hair cut short, so I made it really easy for him, and as he’s doing this, the two ladies are there to actually keep me occupied, and they kept talking to me. Then the one in the back seat hands me a ring, and I’m standing there with this, and I think, ‘What am I going to do with that? It’s a big man’s ring,’” she recalled.

“Just that second after that happened, all of a sudden, the guy took off like a shot. I’m standing there wondering what the hell happened here.”

That’s when Judith realized something was wrong.

“I stuck my hand inside my shirt, went all around, and I knew then that I had been robbed,” she said.

Sentimental value to the tree-of-life pendant

The Calgary Police Service said that they’re aware of recent reports involving distraction thefts targeting seniors, particularly under the guise of offering jewellery to the victim.

“Distraction thefts often involve two or more individuals working together, with one person engaging the victim while the other commits the theft. These tactics can include bumping into someone, spilling something or creating a scene to divert attention. Recently, we’ve seen offenders using jewellery sales as a way to enter a person’s personal space,” they wrote via email.

“We urge Calgarians, especially seniors and their loved ones, to stay alert, trust their instincts and be cautious when approached by strangers in public spaces.”

Judith was wearing a necklace with a tree of life pendant that she’d purchased for herself when she was 23 years old. She’d worn it nearly every day, minus a week where she had to have the gold chain repaired.

“It always hung just above my heart. It was a tree of life, which was very, very significant to me, because I’m a horticulturist. I had a plant maintenance business and stuff, and that’s why I bought it in the first place,” Judith said.

She’s also a cancer survivor, cancer-free for more than 11 years. Her sister had travelled to Colombia 11-and-a-half years ago and met a shaman in the mountains. Judith said the shaman saw the tree of life pendant in a vision and gave her sister some blessed water to bring back. Judith reluctantly drank a little bit of it, and said that had been cancer-free since.

“I’ve been 11-and-a-half years cancer-free, so who knows if that had an effect or not? But every time now that I look in a mirror and it’s gone, it reminds me, brings me back to what happened, and it’s just going to be another major thing that I’m going to have to try and get over,” Judith said.

‘Pathetic’ people targeting seniors: Ward 5 councillor

Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal said he met Judith last week while he was knocking on doors, and he listened to her story about the theft.

“She was distraught because she felt cheated. That’s exactly what these pathetic people, I want to call them… they are gaining the trust, they’re gaining the love, and then they are breaking that trust and love right there at the end,” he said.  

“Then some of these people who are vulnerable, susceptible, older, elderly, who need our help, sometimes they start questioning if even real humanity exists.”

He said it’s raised fear among many seniors, especially those who live alone in their homes. They’re worried about who they can trust.

“It makes me feel disgusted, and I really want these people, if they’re out there, to understand and listen, this is not OK. They’ve got to stop this,” Dhaliwal said.

Judith said she wanted to raise awareness about her story so this didn’t happen to other seniors—or anyone else—in Calgary.

“I feel that if I had known ahead of time about this thing, that maybe other people would be more aware of it. Not to let strangers come close enough to touch you, because as soon as they touch you, they can take something,” she said.

“They’re very, very good at what they do.”

The Calgary police provided 10 tips that are attached below.