The Cottonwood Police Department issued a scam alert on Thursday, Aug. 7, after receiving reports of individuals approaching people in parking lots with emotional stories, offering to sell a gold ring at a drastically reduced price to pay for gas to return to Phoenix.
“They’re going to give you some sob story,” said Gabe Wright, co-owner of Coin Heaven in Cottonwood. “They’re on their way through town. They ran out of gas. They just need to get on the road. Typically, it’s a man who approaches you, and he has a wife who is oftentimes, quote, unquote, ‘pregnant,’ maybe in the back seat crying — that kind of thing to really tear at your heart.
“There may be some kids with them. [The scammers] are really good at tugging at your heart to make you want to help them out. [But] chances are, if anybody approaches you trying to sell jewelry to [meet some emergency expense] in any parking lot — gas stations, casinos — it’s usually marked 14 or 18 carat, and it’s almost always fake.”
“At this time, no [one has] reported financial loss,” CPD Sgt. Chad Sinn wrote in a Monday, Aug. 11 email. “However, based on multiple community reports, these individuals may be attempting to sell items that are misrepresented in quality or value.”
During the week of Aug. 3, Wright said he had “about a dozen” people come into his shop reporting that someone approached them trying to sell jewelry with a sob story, however the number of reporting parties the week of Aug. 10 has drastically dropped.
“I think [the scammers] got the hint and probably moved on … they’ll probably roll back into town again in the next month or two, whatever the case may be,” Wright said. “This has been happening for years. We’ll see a wave of it, then it goes away, and then another wave comes through down the line.”
“This appears to be their full-time job as they travel around the region and they’re looking to take advantage of people,” Canada’s Truro Police Service Chief David MacNeill said in a July with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, echoing Wright’s opinion that these jewelry scammers are consistently on the move.
Wright recalled that from his observations that he “probably” started seeing this type of scam around eight years ago and the frequency has been increasing over time making it the most common type of fraud he has heard reports of.
“We did have one instance, [in] which we have provided the information to [CPD], where in January, two males sold a local business a gold-colored chain later determined to be counterfeit,” city of Sedona Communications Director Lauren Browne wrote when asked about similar incidents in Sedona. “Forensic analysis conducted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety Crime Lab identified two suspects and the police department has asked for warrants to be issued.”
CPD advises residents to be cautious of sellers in public areas and avoid giving money or personal information unless their legitimacy is certain, and that Peddler’s Permits are required to sell goods in Cottonwood.
“If somebody is approaching you with gold jewelry in a parking lot, then chances are it’s fake,” Wright said.
“[CPD] is actively monitoring these reports and will investigate each incident on a case-by-case basis,” Sinn wrote.
If you’ve been approached by jewelry scammers or have information, you’re encouraged to call CPD at (928) 634-4246 or Yavapai Silent Witness at (800) 932-3232.
