West Shore RCMP have issued a warning about fraudsters working the West Shore with sob stories and offering to trade fake jewelry for cash.
On Monday, police were contacted by a pedestrian near the 1700-block of Old Island Highway who reported being stopped by a man and woman in a dark-coloured SUV, possibly a Mercedes, with two youths in the back seat.
They told the pedestrian they were hungry and could not afford to eat. The victim gave them money for food and the suspects offered a gold necklace in exchange. The necklace turned out to be fake.
Two days before, near Massie Close in Langford, another pedestrian was flagged down by a man driving a grey Mercedes SUV with a female passenger.
The male claimed to have lost his wallet and said he needed money for gas to make it home to Chilliwack. He offered a gold ring and necklace in exchange for money.
Again the jewelry was fake.
The suspects are described as Middle Eastern, and the man was described as about five-foot-six and in his late 30s. No other descriptions were provided for the woman.
Two similar incidents were reported in Langford last April.
“We want to warn the public against this type of fraud, which often involves drawing the victim in with a sad or tragic story,” said Cpl. Nancy Saggar, who advised anyone who is approached with a similar story to say no and report suspicious activity to police right away.
“Make note of things like license plates and suspect descriptions to give police the best chance of catching these suspects.
Anyone with information on the identity of the scammers is asked to call West Shore RCMP at 250-474-2264.
