Don't Get Duped By Fake Diamond Scam

Published on 18/09/09

A team of con artists selling faux jewels in Davis last week scammed an elderly woman out of $3,000, and police are warning the public to remember the adage: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Last Friday, a woman described as older than 65 was approached and asked for directions by a woman in her 50s or 60s inside a Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Davis. A man then approached to offer aid, police said.

The woman pulled five loose "diamonds" from her purse and said she wanted to sell them. Her accomplice advised the women that he had a friend inside the hospital who was a part-time jewelry appraiser, police said, and went inside to "talk" to the friend while they waited.

He returned and said the diamonds were worth $11,000 each. The woman said she'd sell them for $7,000 each.

The man persuaded the victim to split the cost with him to buy a diamond for $6,000. The woman went to her bank to withdraw $3,000. She handed over the cash and gave the female suspect a ride to a nearby mall while the man promised to wait at Kaiser with the diamond.

When the victim returned to the hospital, though, the man was gone.