SF 'blessing scam' suspect caught with child pornography while being arrested
SAN FRANCISCO - A man accused of multiple blessing scams in San Francisco has been arrested and charged for the scams, but also for being in possession of child pornography, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
Police arrested Chen Kun Lo in the Los Angeles area on Feb. 26. He was found to have some stolen items, but also child pornography.
One blessing scam incident occurred on Jan. 23 around 11:30 a.m. when a victim was waiting at a bus stop in the Excelsior District. There, the 68-year-old allegedly approached a victim, striking up a conversation when two other women joined them and helped convince the victim to get her "most valuable items" from her home to be blessed.
A ceremony "blessing" the items was done, in which the victim's items disappeared.
A second incident two days later around 4 p.m. occurred in the Outer Mission neighborhood when an unknown man and woman approached a victim. The two suspects struck up a conversation with the victim and walked down an alley where a second woman joined the trio.
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The suspects convinced the victim to participate in the blessing with their jewelry and money. It wasn't until later did the victim realized their items were switched with similar weighted items.
SFPD's Special Victims Unit investigated the crimes and found a car linked to both incidents. Upon seizure of the suspected car, evidence linking to both crimes was found.
Lo was arrested without incident and allegedly found to be with stolen property belonging to the blessing scam victims and child pornography. He was booked on felony charges in the San Francisco County jail on March 9 for these allegations.
He's due to appear in court on April 9.
The other suspects have not been publicly identified.
Anyone with information about the blessing scams is asked to contact SFPD at (415) 575-444 or text a tip to TIP411 beginning with SFPD. Cantonese-speaking victims can leave tips at (415) 553-9212.