‘Taking advantage of the kindness:’ Seniors targeted in recent distraction thefts
Posted Aug 28, 2025 11:11:41 AM.
Last Updated Aug 28, 2025 03:16:06 PM.
A recent rise in reported distraction thefts aimed at elderly people has drawn the attention of Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS).
In these various situations, WRPS said the suspects would approach a victim, asking for help in some sort of way. It could range from helping to move something to asking for directions.
Once that has been done, police say the suspect would then offer a reward or gift for helping, usually in the form of jewellery. Those items are later determined to be fake.
During that interaction is when the suspect would use it as a distraction to steal real jewellery or other belongings from the victim, all without their knowledge.
“Primarily, it’s been an uptick in the last couple of months,” said WRPS Constable Chris Iden. “Since June, we’ve investigated 15 occurrences of distraction-like offences.”
He mentioned that, while this has been an issue growing throughout the summer, overall, it’s not a new issue throughout Waterloo Region.
“This has been an issue that we have made posts about and raised awareness about throughout the year,” Iden stated. “I personally know that it’s been happening since at least January, so this issue is an ongoing issue.”
Iden mentioned that the recent trend in distraction thefts has been particularly disappointing, primarily due to the fact that the suspects are intentionally exploiting the kindness of others.
“These suspects are actually taking advantage of the kindness of the victim for trying to assist them. It’s kind of unfortunate that we need to make people aware that your kindness might put you in a position where you could be victimized.”
Seniors also the primary targets for rising online scams
This isn’t the only issue across the region that’s been primarily impacting seniors and the elderly, with Cambridge MP Connie Cody pointing to a parallel rise in scams and cyberthefts.
“My team and I have seen a large increase in the number of people, particularly seniors and their families, contacting us because they have been victims of online scams,” Cody said.
In a release, she pointed to figures showing that in 2024, fraud and scams cost Canadian victims more than $638 million, a jump of over 10 per cent compared with 2023.
“Scammers are now using advanced technologies like artificial intelligence to defraud seniors of their savings using tactics such as romance traps, grandparent scams, and celebrity clickbait,” Cody mentioned. “People in our community have already lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, entire life savings, starting with just one click.”
Both Cody and WRPS say, in each of these cases targeting the region’s elderly, the best defence is to stay informed, helping friends and family to do the same.
“With continued vigilance and hard work, we can keep our community safe and stop scammers in their tracks.”
