Palo Alto police are investigating a Thursday morning "jewelry swap" crime in which a woman's necklace valued at more than $1,000 was stolen by a couple who stopped to ask her for directions in a Walgreens parking lot, the department said Friday.
Police said the victim, a woman in her 60s, had just parked her car in the Walgreens parking lot at 4170 El Camino Real at about 10 a.m. and had exited the vehicle when a sedan with a male driver and a female passenger pulled up to her. The woman in the car reportedly asked her for directions to the freeway, police said in a press release. When the woman responded, the passenger then motioned her closer to the car, thanked her for her help and placed a ring on her finger, police said. The woman reportedly returned the ring and backed away.
Police said the passenger then got out of the car and put a necklace around the woman's neck, apparently as a gesture of gratitude. She then got back into the car, a white sedan, and they drove away while the woman left the area. When the woman returned home, she realized that her gold necklace was removed from her while the woman was putting the new necklace on her, police said.
The woman was not injured during the encounter. She called police and described the two suspects as 50-60 years old and possibly of Indian descent, according to the police. The man had a black beard, she said.
Police said that no similar jewelry swap crimes have been reported to police recently in the city. The most recent such case occurred in May 2022, and there were two others before that date back to October 2021, according to the news release.
Police recommend that adult children and caregivers of elderly residents make them aware of the scam and that residents be cautious if approached by a stranger or occupants of an unfamiliar vehicle.
Anyone with information about Thursday's theft is asked to call the Police Department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984.
Comments
Registered user
College Terrace
on Feb 4, 2023 at 11:51 am
Registered user
on Feb 4, 2023 at 11:51 am
How in the world would the thieving couple know that this woman had a valuable necklace around her neck? Did they simply start their ruse by asking directions and then escalate their scheme after seeing the necklace? Do they stake out parking lots and know which ones are likely to bear fruit?
I am a little older than the woman who was victimized by this nasty couple and if I was victimized as she was it would be a long time before I felt safe again. In Palo Alto. I sometimes think our city must have a reputation for being an easy mark.
Registered user
another community
on Feb 5, 2023 at 2:10 pm
Registered user
on Feb 5, 2023 at 2:10 pm
This is Detective 101 at play, I think. I would ask the victim where she was before she went to the Walgreens store. Then see if there is any camera surveillance where she came from. The perpetrators likely saw her at her previous destination, and realized she would be a perfect mark. Their car was probably where she was, and one or both of the perpetrators may have followed her around to get a feel for how "easy" she might be.
Alternatively, they could have been cruising, looking for someone wearing visible jewelry, and in the age bracket they prefer to victimize.
The more articles that are published describing the perfect victim, the more crooks out there realize PA is full of easy marks. But we need to know to be alert to stuff like this. In this case someone may have noticed something before the swap occurred.
Unless they sell it on ebay, any place that buys used jewelry checks to see if the item has been stolen. Very easy to do, with internet resources.
Sometimes it doesn't pay to be nice. Years ago I was in NYC walking along and someone pulled over and asked me for directions. Not being from there, I said I couldn't help them. They cursed a blue streak and I thought they might get out of the car and beat me up! I walked into the nearest business. I could have looked like a clueless tourist and face robbery or worse. Now when I'm in a strange place and anybody asks me for directions, I pretend to be deaf. And if somebody on El Camino can't find 101, boy... wait till they find out about the fees to drive that "free" way.