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Scam alert

A Stranger Hugs You or Offers a Necklace? Your Jewelry Is the Target

Posted

Long Island and New York City · x.com/NYPD111Pct · Arrives by a stranger in person, on the street or outside your home

The short answer

A stranger who asks for directions, then hugs you or puts a "gift" necklace around your neck, can take your real jewelry while they are close and leave a fake in its place. In October 2026, Nassau County police on Long Island said a 73-year-old woman in Valley Stream lost a gold necklace valued at about $2,000 this way, and the NYPD's 111th Precinct warned that people, often seniors, are being targeted with distractions to swap real jewelry for fakes. Step back, say no thanks, and keep your distance.

What is happening

In October 2026, Nassau County police on Long Island said a man and a woman in a car stopped by a 73-year-old woman standing outside her Valley Stream home and asked for directions, and the woman then got out, asked to hug her, and placed two gold-colored necklaces around her neck before leaving; a short time later, she noticed her own gold necklace, valued at about $2,000, was gone. Police arrested two people and charged them in that case and in similar ones in Franklin Square and East Meadow, and told CBS New York the thefts had happened at least 14 times in the Tri-State Area and Maryland. On October 19, the NYPD's 111th Precinct warned that people, often seniors, are being targeted with distractions to swap real jewelry for fakes.

How to recognize it

  • A stranger who just asked you a friendly question wants to hug you or put a necklace on you.
  • It starts with a small favor, such as directions to a store, often from someone who pulls up in a car.
  • You are offered jewelry as a gift or a thank-you, sometimes with pressure that saying no would be rude.
  • Police said seniors were among the people targeted, and the NYPD said victims are often seniors.
  • After the person leaves, the necklace around your neck is not the one you put on that morning.

What to do instead

  1. Keep your distance from strangers who stop you to ask for help. You can give directions from a step away.
  2. Politely turn down hugs and gifts from people you don't know.
  3. Keep valuable jewelry out of sight, or at home, when you're out.
  4. If a stranger has just been close to you, check your jewelry right away.
  5. If you want to tell someone, the rule is: no hugs and no gifts from strangers who stop you for directions.

If it already happened

Responding to one of these is common and understandable. These steps are what people usually take next.

  1. Helping someone who asks for directions is a kind thing to do. These thieves count on good manners.
  2. Call the police right away, even if you're not sure anything was taken, and describe the people and any car they were in.
  3. Keep anything they left with you, such as a necklace, and give it to the police.
  4. In Nassau County, detectives ask anyone who thinks the same thing happened to them to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.
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Common questions

How can someone take a necklace during a hug?
Police told CBS New York that in the Long Island cases, while the woman had her arms around the person she was thanking, she would unclasp their necklace and take it. The hug is the cover for reaching the clasp.
Would I notice right away?
Not always. Police said the woman in Valley Stream noticed her own necklace was missing a short time after the stranger left, and another woman told CBS New York she did not notice until she was finishing her gardening.
Does this only happen on Long Island?
No. Police told CBS New York the thefts happened at least 14 times in the Tri-State Area and Maryland, and the NYPD's 111th Precinct posted its own warning on October 19, 2026.

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A Stranger Hugs You or Offers a Necklace? Your Jewelry Is the Target

A stranger who asks for directions, then hugs you or puts a "gift" necklace around your neck, can take your real jewelry while they are close and leave a fake in its place. In October 2026, Nassau County police on Long Island said a 73-year-old woman in Valley Stream lost a gold necklace valued at about $2,000 this way, and the NYPD's 111th Precinct warned that people, often seniors, are being targeted with distractions to swap real jewelry for fakes. Step back, say no thanks, and keep your distance.

Read the full alert: https://endscamsproject.com/latest-scams/jewelry-swap-hug-distraction-theft

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