Winnipeg police issue warning over rise in distraction thefts
Posted October 1, 2025 4:48 pm.
Last Updated October 1, 2025 6:43 pm.
In an effort to protect the public from a rise in distraction thefts, Winnipeg police are once again sending out a warning that elderly residents are being targetted in neighbourhoods and outside stores, where suspects are using aggressive tactics to steal jewelry and valuables.
Police say these kinds of thefts aren’t new to Winnipeg, but recently there has been a troubling spike in the city’s south end. While investigators can’t confirm if it’s the same group is behind every case, they say tactics are consistent.
“We’re not saying this is a criminal organization at this point, but the likelihood that it is and the potential it is, is there,” said Constable Claude Chancy, with the Winnipeg Police Service.
“The mode of operation is quite similar, and they involve both distraction and theft of jewelry of victims that they are actually wearing.”
On September 18, a woman on Drake Boulevard was distracted with a prayer gesture and had two rings and a necklace stolen. On September 23, a victim on Bridgeland Drive South was hugged while a bracelet was taken. And on September 27, an elderly couple on John Bruce Road had their jewellery swapped out for fakes after a close physical encounter.
“We focus on the last three because it did happen in the south part of the city and in residential neighborhoods, which isn’t like the ones we’ve seen so far which are in retail areas,” said Chancy.
Investigators believe suspects are targeting seniors, often those not fluent in English, and specifically looking for high-value gold jewellery. The groups typically travel across provinces using rental vehicles, often with out-of-province licence plates, including Alberta, B.C., and Quebec, and sometimes stay at motels on the city’s outskirts.
“These are traveling criminals, they go from city to city to city across the country and back.”
Police say the average loss is between three and $6,000, often involving sentimental pieces like wedding rings. They’re reminding the public to keep jewellery hidden, avoid engagement with strangers offering gifts or asking for money, and to report all suspicious encounters.
Anyone with information or who may have been a victim is asked to contact police at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.
