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Buying Diamonds…On the Street?
Posted by cissy | Posted in Diamond Advice, Weird Diamond News | Posted on 12-10-2009
“Pssst…I just happen to have a few extra “diamonds” swishing around in my purse. Wanna buy one?”
What may appear to some as being an unlikely (as well as outrageous) scenario; actually happened to someone recently in the Silicon Valley. It seems that there are currently scam artists running around, casually attempting to do this very thing; in at least one case, with apparent success In this particular instance, the victim happened to be an elderly woman whom one of them approached to ask for directions. Working in tandem with a male accomplice; a female scammer produced five “diamonds” from out of nowhere and offered to sell them to the elderly woman. The male accomplice coincidentally had a friend in a nearby Medical Center (who just happened to be an “appraiser”). After taking them in to his friend, he came back in with the “official” price. The “appraiser” had placed a value on the gems as being slightly over $10,000 each. However, the female scammer offered a discount, in that she would settle for a price of $7,000 each. After a little more back and forth discussion, an even lower price of $6,000 was soon settled upon.
The male accomplice then convinced the elderly victim to share the cost of one of the diamonds with him. She would pay half ($3000), and he would pay the other half. The woman then withdrew $3000 from her bank, handed it over to the man, and then gave his accomplice a ride to a shopping center. The man promised to wait for her to come back; after assuring her that he would have the diamond when she returned.
Of course, when she did return, he was nowhere to be found. As of this date, these persons have still not been apprehended.
Sadly, this is apparently not an isolated incident; and so we offer the following sound advice: Whether in-person or online, seek only a trusted jeweler, or certified appraiser when purchasing fine jewelry. Safeguard your assets, as well as your peace-of-mind .
http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_13359685?nclick_check=1
