Cape Breton police investigating gold-for-gas scam that targets unsuspecting drivers
CTV
Police in Cape Breton are investigating reports of a scam involving a seemingly stranded motorist flagging down drivers and offering gold jewelry in exchange for money to pay for gas or repairs.
Police in Cape Breton are investigating reports of a scam involving a seemingly stranded motorist flagging down drivers and offering gold jewelry in exchange for money to pay for gas or repairs.
In Sydney, the largest community in Cape Breton, jeweller Kim Boudreau says that in the past three weeks, five people have come to her shop hoping to sell gold bracelets and rings that turned out to be fakes.
Boudreau says all them told similar stories about how they were scammed by a frantic driver who said they had run out of gas or were stranded by a breakdown.
She says one victim told her he was so determined to help the allegedly stranded driver that he went to the bank and agreed to hand over a $5,000 loan.
Desiree Magnus, spokesperson for Cape Breton Regional Police, says five people have come forward with similar stories since May, all of them saying they declined when asked if they would exchange gas money for gold trinkets.
Magnus says the suspects were gone by the time police arrived to investigate, and she says those who complained to police did not have much to say when asked to describe who and what they saw.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2024.
