| Description: | Costly scam prompts Sacramento County officials to issue warning
Sacramento County sheriff's detectives are warning the public about a new variation of the classic "pigeon drop" scam that recently cost a 72yearold woman $10,000 and a lot of grief.
The victim was shopping at a WalMart store in Rancho Cordova in September when she was approached by a woman who said she had found an envelope full of diamonds while working at a local hotel, sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran said. The woman said she needed to sell the diamonds to pay for her mother's cancer treatment.
The scammer stopped another man walking by who was part of the caper and asked him for help, Curran said. The man suggested that he take the diamonds inside the WalMart and ask a jeweler there to appraise the diamonds, Curran said.
The man went into the store and then returned to the women, saying the diamonds were worth $20,000 to $30,000, Curran said. The victim then purchased two of the supposed diamonds for $10,000. |
