Two fake ‘magicians’ fleece a man with cognitive impairment out of $1,700 in Melbourne
Two fake ‘magicians’ allegedly robbed a man with a cognitive impairment of $1,700 after demanding money for doing tricks
- Man with cognitive impairment was scammed for $1,700
- The 33-year-old man was tricked into giving money by two ‘magicians’
- He was then ordered to withdraw more money from the bank
A cognitively impaired man has been robbed of more than $1,700 in a magic trick in Melbourne’s CBD, with police relying on information from the public to apprehend the perpetrators.
Police say the 33-year-old victim was tricked into handing over the cash to two men on April 23 after being approached on Little Bourke Street.
The first man reportedly told him he was lucky before performing a trick and demanding payment for the performance.
The victim allegedly handed over all the cash he was carrying to the suspect before he was ordered to withdraw more money from a nearby bank.
A second man then approached the victim and repeated the same trick before also demanding that he withdraw cash from an ATM for payment.
Detectives from the Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit have released footage of two men (pictured) who officers hope will help with the investigation
After a 30-minute conversation between the three men, the victim handed over a total of more than $1,700 in cash.
The first man would be between 50 and 60 years old and the second man between 30 and 40 years old.
Detectives from the Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit have released images of two men that officers hope will help with the investigation.
The older man is of average build, about 6 feet 8 inches (182 cm) tall, with black short straight hair – and appeared clean shaven except for a moustache.
He was wearing smart, casual black pants and a sports jacket.
The second man also has an average build and is the same height.
He had straight black hair tied in a ponytail with a black mustache and beard.
This man also wore smart casual clothes, including a black vest, white shirt and black slacks.
Both men had a subcontinental appearance.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.