Suspects Sought in Connection with Parking Lot Scam

A man and woman are being sought by the Sacramento County Sheriff after an elderly woman reported being scammed out of $10,000 in the parking lot of Wal-Mart, located at 10655 Folsom Boulevard, on Sept. 1o.

A media release from Sergeant Tim Curran on Oct. 15 described the woman as hispanic and in her 40s, 5-feet-3-inches tall and 125 pounds with dark hair. She was wearing pink pants, a fisherman-type hat, white sunglasses, a short-sleeved shirt with multi-colored “drops” on it and was holding a white bag with gold accents on it at the time of the scam.

The man is described as white or possibly light-skinned hispanic in his 20s, 5-feet-4-inches tall and 160 pounds with a tan complexion and black hair. He was wearing a tan polo shirt and blue jeans at the time of the scam.

The media release says the female suspect allegedly approached the elderly woman with an envelope, saying the envelope was full of diamonds. She allegedly said she had found the envelope at a hotel she worked at, and because her mother had cancer, she needed to sell the diamonds to pay for cancer treatment.  

The female suspect then stopped a man walking by and asked him to take the diamonds to the Wal-Mart jewelry center to be appraised; the man returned and said they had been appraised at $20,000 to $30,000. The victim decided to purchase the diamonds for $10,000. She later took the diamonds to another appraiser who told her that they were not diamonds, but were crystals.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call Sheriff’s Elder Abuse detectives at (916) 874-5070 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP; or send a text message tip by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Sergeant Tim Curran also added the following tips for anyone confronted with a similar situation:

PROTECT YOURSELF

This woman fell victim to a variation on the classic “Pigeon Drop” con game. In this scheme:

• A stranger, or strangers, gain the victim’s confidence by telling a believable story

• Ask for the victim’s help or promises the victim money or goods

• Ask for the victim to show “good faith” by producing cash in advance for the promised money or goods.

It’s not easy to spot con artists. They’re smart, extremely persuasive and aggressive. Most people think they are too smart to fall for a scam. But con artists rob all kinds of people, from all walks of life, of millions of dollars every year.

If you are a victim of a con game, or suspect you have been contacted by a con artist, report it to law enforcement or a consumer advocacy group. Don’t feel foolish or stupid. Reporting is vital. Very few frauds are reported, which leaves the con artists free to rob other people of their money and trust.

Use common sense and remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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Posted by Anne Lowe on Oct 16 2009. Filed under Public Safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.