He was groomed well, smelled good, he really seemed genuine, almost desperate.”įrom his experience, Neal has advice: “Sayno,’ walk away,” he said.
“He had a nice car, nicely dressed he had nice jewelry on. “He looked super professional, businessman,” said Nicole Lewis in 2018, after she bought the ploy from a family who flagged her down on the side of the freeway. “We’re talking anywhere from 4 to 10 thousand dollars at a time,” said Scott Genoway of the WSP. Hundreds of victims are being duped by people in rental cars showing kids that often aren’t theirs and selling jewelry that’s not real gold. In 2018 WSP investigators called the scheme part of an aggressive crime ring.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued the same warning: “Don’t fall for the fake gold scam,” after the same suspects arrested in western Washington were arrested there for pulling the same con game from Vancouver to Ontario. “I’ve been hit by them before,” said Lanctot, who admitted giving cash to the same kind of scammer in Florida. The best progressives in town, a convenient sports book, and a laid-back atmosphere mean a great time is always guaranteed at Wildfire Rancho.
