No Miracle Max in Chinatown: Police hunt scammers who preyed on elderly woman

Police are looking for three women they say scammed an elderly Chinatown resident out of cash and jewelry through a fable involving her son and a "miracle healer."

The incident bears some similarities to an April incident that also involved three women - who allegedly hypnotized another elderly resident into giving up $160,000 in cash.

Police say that this past Sunday, an elderly woman was approached by three women at Harrison Avenue and Beach Street:

The suspects engaged her in conversation and one of the suspects asked the victim where she can find the miracle healer, saying she needed to find this miracle healer because her daughter is very sick. The victim told the suspect that she didn't know anything about a miracle healer and then a second suspect walked into the conversation and stated she knew where a miracle healer was and asked them to follow her. The victim stated she couldn't go with them. All of the suspects then told the victim that her son was in danger indicating something about spirits in her home. The suspects told the victim to go home and get all of her valuables and come back to meet them near the Hei La Moon Restaurant at 88 Beach Street or something bad would happen to her son.

The victim went home and gathered cash and jewelry and went to the area of 88 Beach Street where she met the three suspects. The suspects handed the victim a black plastic bag and the victim placed the money and jewelry inside of the bag and handed it back to the suspects. A black plastic bag was then given back to the victim. The suspects then told the victim to put the bag in a safe place and not to open it for a month.

But police say something about the bag bothered the woman and she opened it - discovering her cash and jewelry had been replaced by a newspaper, a bottle of water and some rice. Realizing she'd been had, she contacted police.

Police say one suspect was about 40, with tan skin and a black jacket. Another woman, also about 40, has a chubby face. The third suspect was about 50 and had a black jacket.

If you see three middle-aged Chinese women walking up to an elderly woman, contact A-1 detectives at 617-343-4248 or the anonymous tip line by calling 800-494-TIPS or texting TIP to CRIME (27463).