Tri-Cities Police warn of scammers peddling Fool’s Gold to shoppers in parking lots
Kennewick police are seeing an uptick in a scam where people are buying jewelry believing they’ll be able to sell it for a profit.
Instead, they find out that it’s not worth the hundreds of dollars they paid for it, police said on Facebook.
The scammers have been approaching people at gas stations or grocery store parking lots and offering to sell chains or rings stamped with 18K, according to the Kennewick police Facebook post. They claim to be from out of the state and need money for food or gas.
They offer to sell the jewelry for anywhere between $100 and $500. The victims believing they are getting a good deal then take the jewelry to a pawn shop and discover it’s not worth what they paid for it.
Pawn shop owners reported at least 10 people had come in with the jewelry over the last week.
Anyone with information about the scam can contact Kennewick police through the non-emergency dispatch number at 509-628-0333 or at kpdtips.com.