An elderly Chinese woman is the latest victim in a spiritual blessing scam defrauding people out of valuables, including jewellery and money.

Police arrested a 63-year-old woman at Sydney Airport on Thursday night before taking her to Mascot Police Station.

She is accused of defrauding a 77-year-old woman out of a large sum of money and jewellery at Parramatta last month.

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Authorities said it is the latest example of a scam aimed at people of Asian backgrounds, where alleged offenders “exploit cultural fears” and convince women their wealth needs to be blessed to protect their families because they are at risk from spirits.

“The women are deceived and once the scammers are in possession of their money and valuables including jewellery, the items are swapped with items of no value and the women are encouraged not to open the bags for an extended time,” a police statement said.

A police strike force has been running since April, investigating alleged blessing scams across Sydney since 2023.

Police have received reports of more than 80 incidents in that time and say the scams have netted a cool $3 million in cash and valuables.

The woman is expected to face court on Friday. Credit: AFP

She has been charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, participating in a criminal group and demanding property in company with menaces with intent to steal.

She was set to face Parramatta Local Court on Friday after being denied police bail.

Police issued a series of warnings in relation to alleged blessing scams, including urging caution with people seeking access to money and valuables when they cannot be identified.

They also warned people to be wary of those asking for directions to a Chinese herbal doctor or spiritual healer, and to not hand over money or jewellery for blessing rituals.