By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com
Sacramento police are warning that scam artists are peddling fake bars of gold.
Similar crooked deals have surfaced through the years.
The most recent incarnation of the scam occurred Thursday in Natomas when a woman shopping in the 3600 block of Truxel was approached by another woman who spoke to her in Spanish.
The woman told the victim that she was from Mexico and that a sick relative needed help to pay hospital bills. A man then approached and asked the victim if she would like to help by buying a bar of gold at a sale price.
The victim agreed, thinking she would be helping a family in need with bills while also making some money for herself. She withdrew the money from the bank and paid for the phony gilded bar.
Later, after a trip to a jewelry store, she found out the gold bar was a fake.
The suspects have been targeting Hispanic women with the same scam, police said.
The male suspect was described as Hispanic, about 60 years old, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, 130 pounds, wearing a grey-and-beige knitted cap, beige T-shirt and beige jeans. The female suspect was described as Hispanic, 45 years old, 5 feet tall, 165 pounds with shoulder-length brown hair.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357.
Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.
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