Woman charged with ‘blessing scam’ on San Francisco elders

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two women who allegedly bilked elderly people in San Francisco out of thousands with a so-called blessing scam have appeared in court.

Mudi Wu and Fuxi Dai were arrested on Christmas Eve at Los Angeles International Airport as they prepared to board a flight to Hong Kong with $180,000 in cash and gold jewelry.

The San Francisco Chronicle says they appeared Monday in a San Francisco court and were ordered held on $250,000 bail. It’s unclear whether they have attorneys.

Prosecutors allege the women approached elderly people in the Chinese community and claimed the victims needed blessings to protect their children or get rid of malicious ghosts.

The victims were told to bring cash in a bag to be blessed. Authorities say the women then stole or switched bags.