During hard economic times cons and scam artists seem to crawl out of the woodwork. Police are warning the public about two old scams that have resurfaced to claim new victims. Both scams have been occurring in public parking lots with con men approaching victims and asking for money.
In a take off on the old bait-and-switch scam, the victim is approached by an individual or couple claiming to be down on their luck who are selling an expensive diamond ring. Together they have the ring professionally appraised to verify its value. But after the victim pays cash for the ring, the con man manages to switch rings and the hapless victim walks away with a cheap imitation.
In a twist on the Nigerian letter scam, the victim is approached by a person claiming to be working with a charity and trying to send money back to their home country, most recently Kenya. The con man asks the individual to hold a large sum of money and to withdraw from their bank account several hundred dollars in "good faith" money. The con man then asks the individual to donate the money to charity so it can get to Kenya while appearing to wrap a large wad of cash along with the individual's money in a towel. When the individual unwraps the towel, all he finds is a rolled up newspaper.
"Neither one of these (scams) are original," said a police spokesperson. "The victims let their guard down."
Similar cons have been around for hundreds of years. "Scams go back to the hieroglyphics," said Michael Deppe of Professionals Against Confidence Crime. Suspects are often difficult to catch because they leave town after taking people's money. And many confidence crimes go unreported because people feel foolish for being taken in. Out of every 500 scams, fewer than two people go to jail, said Deppe.
While experts say many con men target the elderly because they are considered more trusting and often have large sums of money available, police warn that anyone can become a victim. Con men use a gift of gab to engage their victims and sleight of hand to trick them. Scammers bank on the gullibility of their victims and count on that little bit of greed that lurks in our all-too human hearts. People who fall victim to con men are often enticed by the chance to get something of great value at an incredible bargain. Unfortunately, it's usually the victims who are left holding the bag.
Beware of con men. In California, scams are considered a form of fraud and may be charged as theft. If you are charged with fraud or theft, consult skilled criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez about your rights.
