Officials warn public of scams during Lunar New Year celebrations

As Lunar New Year celebrations approach, San Francisco officials are reminding residents and community members to be on alert for scams.

Mayor London Breed, Police Chief Bill Scott and supervisors Norman Yee, Aaron Peskin and Shamann Walton held the annual Lunar New Year Crime Prevention and Safety Awareness Campaign to remind the public to be vigilant and to report any crimes to police during the celebration period.

At the Dragon’s Gate entrance into Chinatown Friday, Breed said:

“As we embark on Lunar New Year in the next two weeks when we celebrate the Year of the Rat, we want to take this as an opportunity to remind everyone, especially here in Chinatown, that we have got to do job looking after one another, especially our seniors.”

The mayor specifically mentioned “blessing” and fake jewelry scams that have become prevalent in recent years and have resulted in the loss of  thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry.

Scott yielded the following warnings to the public, especially if money is involved:

“Be aware when strangers ask for money. Don’t follow strangers anywhere. Particularly, don’t bring a stranger into your home. Don’t allow anybody to convince you to take money out of your money account.”

The police chief added:

“Before withdrawing huge sums of money, talk to your family first.”

Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 25 and The City’s annual Chinese New Year Parade will be held Feb. 8.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.