Author: Matthew Cox
08:53 30 June 2024, updated 09:06 30 June 2024
A ‘gold swap scammer’ caught on CCTV tricking a pawnbroker into buying fake gold has been shown attacking other jewelers who used a similar scam months ago.
Footage has emerged of the smartly dressed suspect targeting Ashley Adams Jewelers in Hailsham, East Sussex, on April 11 when he swapped a bag of 18 carat gold charms for one containing “two lumps of brass” worth £1,100.
Two months later he was filmed targeting Paul Wood, 58, at his shop 230 miles away in Stoke-on-Trent, swapping a bag of real gold for fake bars and making off with £1,765.
On both occasions, his tiny hand was caught on CCTV.
In April’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it footage, he can be seen holding his phone before swapping bags as he flips the phone between his left and right hands.
The suspect left the Hailsham jewelers before the shop owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, realized she had been duped when she got to the back office and opened a bag.
She said: ‘This man came and offered to sell me some pharaoh head pendants.
“I looked at them and confirmed they were 18ct after machine and acid testing and agreed to pay him £1,100.
“It was a similar technique, but he used a sort of mesh, took it in his right hand and handed it back to me with his left, and I ended up with two lumps of brass.
“I noticed almost immediately as soon as I walked into the back office how a small gauze bag was tied very tightly, too tightly.
“I called 999 in case the police were in the area but nothing ever happened.
“The other day I got an email from Safergems, which is a criminal initiative in the jewelry industry, that he had struck elsewhere.
“If I had received the email just the day before, it might have been a different outcome.
“But I don’t like looking back at the footage because it’s so obvious what happened and how he’s doing it. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.”
A Sussex Police spokesman said in an appeal at the time: “Can you help us identify this person?
“We would like to speak to them in relation to a fraudulent transaction at a jewelery shop in Hailsham on 11th April.
“Report it online or call 101 if you can help, quoting crime 47240067964.
Businessman Paul this week told how a fraudster managed to trick him into parting with more than £1,700 for a bag of fake gold on June 20.
The man was with an accomplice when he came to a pawn shop in Stoke looking to sell 9 carat gold, which Paul examined and confirmed was genuine.
After managing to switch bags, the pair fled the scene with money from Church Street Gold Pottery and Furniture.
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Paul, from Stoke-on-Trent, told MailOnline: “I felt a bit silly about the whole thing watching the camera.”
Explaining the incident, he said: “It was last Thursday and this man and woman came to say they wanted to sell some gold. I think they were Eastern European, well presented and smartly dressed and looked real enough.
“They sold this gold which I weighed and inspected as normal and we agreed a price of £1,765 after confirming it was 9 carat gold.
“He had the gold in this blue velvet bag and he kept trying to put it back in there while I was trying to weigh it and I had to keep telling him I didn’t want your bag.
“And it went back and forth like that, putting the gold back in the bag and just trying to trick me.
“Then they said they had some more gold, but I looked at that too and thought it didn’t look good, so I said I wouldn’t buy it.
“Then somehow they switched the bag of real gold for a bag of tattoos that had it tied really tight.
“I knew something was strange when he threw the bag behind the counter, but when he got to the front door, they wanted to look at something else in the window.
“They engaged in conversation and let me talk.
“In the back of my mind, I think they would have made runners by now if they weren’t original, but I still have to go back and check that bag again.
“But then they disappeared quite suddenly. I ran straight back to the bag and had to cut it open with a knife because he tied it so tightly.
“All the fake gold was spilling out of the bag, so I took it out of the shop and into the street – but it was long gone.
“Looking back, I felt pretty stupid because I’m usually so cautious. But they were in the store for about 20 minutes and I never took my eyes off him.
“I was watching him and somehow he managed to pull cotton wool over my eyes, I don’t know how he did it. It was quite a professional job.’
Paul, who has owned the shop for 18 years, was then told by the police that it would be six weeks before an officer could come out or attend the station in person.
He dismissed the response from Staffordshire Police and believes the inaction could lead to bold fraudsters striking again elsewhere.
The force confirmed it was now searching for the suspects and appealed for any witnesses to come forward.
He added: “I immediately dialed 999 but was told to call 101 which took an hour to get through.
“I was then told I would have to wait six weeks to see an officer or I could make an appointment at the police station.
“I thought time would be of the essence in catching them, so I was quite surprised by their reaction.
“I told the police I had them at every angle on crystal clear CCTV and they just told me to bring it to the police station and they would take the statement.
“I think the police have given up, there are few police and I feel sorry for them because they are not getting help.
“But criminals can get away with anything because the police are too busy and something needs to be done.”
A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: “We are investigating the following reports of fake gold being used in exchange for cash.
“A man and a woman came to Church Street Gold to exchange gold for cash. Between transactions, the suspects exchanged the gold for counterfeits and left the store.
“The man is described as a massive build with side-shaven black hair, a black beard and was wearing a suit.
“The woman is also tall, wearing a matching suit, long straight dark hair tied back and white sneakers with a red heel.
Any witnesses are asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 396 of June 20 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.