On September 1, RCMP received a report of a man and woman trying to sell gold jewellery from a vehicle in the south end of Red Deer on 50 Avenue. The man and woman were described as possibly East Indian, and were driving a silver Chrysler car with an Ontario plate. They were last seen driving south on 50 Avenue and police patrols of the area did not locate them. The person who reported these scammers was not defrauded of any money.
This scam tends to appear in Red Deer and other cities in the summer months, and Red Deer RCMP issued a warning to the public in early May of this year after seven reports of fake gold scammers were filed within a short time. In that series of incidents, several people were defrauded of significant amounts of money.
The usual approach in a fake gold scam is for a man and woman to approach people in parking lots and try to sell them fake gold jewellery. The scammers tell potential victims that they are down on their luck and need to sell the jewellery in order to get back home. They are often accompanied by a child and may drive rental vehicles.
If you have information that can assist the police in their investigation please contact Red Deer RCMP at 403.343.5575. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.8477 or report it online at http://www.tipsubmit.com.