Roadside gold rush: Scammers first spotted in Tri-Cities are spreading across WA state
A roadside gold scam that was first reported in the Tri-Cities appears to have spread across the state.
The Washington State Patrol confiscated rings, chains, watches and AirPods from people stopped on the side of Interstate 82 in Yakima County, Trooper Chris Thorson told the Herald.
While no one was arrested, the details in these cases match the people who have been trying to take advantage of Good Samaritans along state highways and intersections in the Tri-Cities in recent weeks.
In the most recent cases, the people driving expensive rental cars were stopped on Saturday near the exit for Granger and another was spotted on Tuesday near the exit for Union Gap, Thorson said.
Like the scammers reported in the Tri-Cities, they also had Romanian identification.
This adds to a bevy of similar reports in recent weeks of people claiming to be out of gas and parked on the side of interstates and highways. They will offer to sell jewelry, watches or other items, and claim they are worth far more money.
The scammers continue to be hard to catch. In one case in Benton City, someone saw a woman in the SUV with what appeared to be a two-way radio.
When the man who stopped pulled out his phone to take a picture, the people drove away, Thorson said.
The scammers have also shown up in Western Washington, Thorson said. There was one report of the same rental vehicle with the same people showing up in the Little Creek Casino parking lot in Shelton.
Thorson said the investigation is continuing. Detectives have found some of the victims, and continue to look for more information.
Anyone with information can contact the Washington State Patrol tip line at 509-249-6742.
This story was originally published October 18, 2023 at 5:54 PM.