IONIA, Mich. — Scammers are targeting West Michigan neighbors with fake gold jewelry, and local jewelers say the problem is getting worse.
WATCH: Fake jewelry scams target West Michigan neighbors at gas stations and parking lots
In the past month alone, about 10 people have walked into Dood's Jewelry in Ionia hoping to sell jewelry they thought was gold, only to discover they had been scammed.
"It's just very unfortunate that someone's taking advantage of other people's goodness," said Jennifer Dood, owner of Dood's Jewelry. "It's heartbreaking."
Dood explained since May she has seen a steady uptick in customers attempting to sell fake jewelry being passed off as the real thing. She says customers tell her similar stories about how they ended up with the fake jewelry.
"Approached at local gas stations and parking lots," Dood said.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office is calling them "gold scams" when neighbors are approached with jewelry a seller claims to be real gold, but isn't.
"People are coming in and asking, either because they're thinking ‘yeah I can get my money back’, or ‘oh no, what just happened did I just get taken?’" Dood said.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office has identified several warning signs to watch for:
- Demands for immediate payment
- Pressure to keep it a secret
- Requests for payment through gift cards or cryptocurrency
- Too good to be true offers
Dood recommends that anyone looking to buy jewelry take the transaction directly to a jewelry shop.
"If they had come here, we could have acid tested and told them ‘no, I'm sorry, these are not real, you don't want to buy this’," Dood said.
Ionia Public Safety is aware of these scams in the area, but no victims have come forward to law enforcement to file a report at this time.
If you are aware of any of these scams in your area, you are urged to call Central Dispatch and make a police report.
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