Fake gold scammers in Golden

Golden-Field

2024-07-14 16:50 PDT

File # 2024-1457

The Golden-Field RCMP is warning the public about a group of con artists running a "fake gold scam" throughout British Columbia and Alberta. Since 2020, there have been reported incidents of this scam every year in Golden, with the most recent being this week near the 1200 block of Trans Canada Highway.

The scam involves multiple people and an elaborate con, and can change from one scenario to the next. In the most recent incident in Golden, a man, a woman and a child pulled up to a gas station in an expensive rental car asking for assistance with gas money, as they had lost their wallet with all their bank cards. The victim kindly bought the family food and gas, and the family gave the victim a gold chain in return as a thank you. The family then tried to get more money out of the victim, but the victim became suspicious and called 911.

In some iterations of this scam, the fraudsters appear to be affluent, sometimes even claiming to be very wealthy foreigners from the Middle East, and state that they are in some kind of trouble (for example, they are unable to access their money through their foreign bank accounts) but they offer expensive gold jewelry in return that is later discovered to be fake.

"They can put on a very compelling show, and unfortunately prey on people’s trust and kindness" advises Constable Kat Robinson with the Golden-Field RCMP. "We are hoping that by sharing this information with the public, we can help prevent locals from becoming victims, because it does happen in small towns like ours."

Examples and tips for recognizing a Fake Gold Scam:

• A scammer approaches their victim and offers to sell them gold jewelry, a transaction is completed and the victim later discovers the gold is not real.
• The scammer approaches an individual and asks for money, often claiming they have lost their wallet and need money for hospital bills or to escape an abusive domestic relationship. In this scenario, the con artist offers gold jewelry to the victim as collateral. The victim later discovers the gold is not real and does not hear back from the suspect.
• The scammers sometimes gift their victim gold as a thank for giving them directions. When the victim declines, the scammers take their jewelry back along with the victim's jewelry.
• The scammers are usually both adult males and females, oftentimes appear South Asian or Middle Eastern, and sometimes claim to be from the Middle East.
• The scammers are usually associated to and travelling around in rental vehicles, sometimes with small children.

"Anyone who is approached by such a group should walk away and immediately call 911. If you have already been approached by a person or group with this modus operandi (MO), please call your local police and make a report" states Constable Robinson.

For more information on fraud prevention, please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Released by:

Email: katherine.robinson@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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