Roadside jewelry peddling scam reported in La Grande area
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, June 14th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE –The La Grande Police Department has received recent reports of a roadside scam involving the peddling of fake jewelry and the exploitation of kindness. According to the LGPD, one of these scams took place on June 12 at the Mobile Gas Station along West Adams Avenue. A person, described as being “of Arab descent and claiming to be from Dubai,” approached a patron for gas money in exchange for what appeared to be valuable jewelry, including an expensive watch. Both the jewelry and watch, however, turned out to be fake. According to the LGPD:
“This incident is part of a nationwide roadside scam, where individuals exploit the kindness of others by offering seemingly valuable items in exchange for money or assistance.”
Police are urging community members to be cautious when approached by strangers asking for money or aid in exchange for some sort of valuable item or trinket. If scams such as this are encountered, the community is asked to decline the perceived scammers and report them to law enforcement as soon as possible.
