Hustlers trading ‘gold’ for gas money

Swindlers offering to trade what turns out to be fake gold for gas money at the side of the road or at gas stations have again made their way into Strathcona County prompting a warning from RCMP.

Const. Chantelle Kelly said the hustlers popped up on their radar about three weeks ago.

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” Kelly said.

The scam itself is pretty simple: a crook offers to sell what they say is real gold at a dramatically reduced price. Of course it’s not gold and the people being approached in parking lots and gas stations are being ripped off.

Sometimes the charlatans will enlist the help of children to tug at the heart strings of naive or kindhearted folk and often the backstory will include a heartbreaking tale of woe.

Other times it will be a simple story of a lost or broken bank card that is preventing them from continuing their trip.

Making it more believable, Kelly said, is the fact that most of the licence plates are from out of province.

That’s because the suspects are generally driving new rental vehicles, she said.

Anyone with information should immediately contact Strathcona County RCMP on 780-467-7741 as well as making a note of any information such as type of vehicle, description of the individuals and direction of travel.