Article content Vancouver police put up 19 bright yellow billboards around the city, with dramatic black lettering that reads: “Warning. Be cautious of strangers getting close or asking for help” as an attention-getter for the increasingly prevalent crime during which a thief requests help or offers to give cheap jewelry to an elderly person to distract them during the robbery of expensive jewelry or other valuables. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or Vancouver police billboards warning of strangers face backlash, vandalism Back to video “The statement on the billboard directly addresses how thieves target their victims, who are often seniors (one victim this year has been 94 years old) and are East Asian or South Asian,” said VPD spokeswoman Simi Heer in an email.