DALTON, Ga.,None — Dalton police are looking for two men they say ripped off an area jewelry store, getting away with $7,500.
The scam, which police are calling a “gold-selling bait and switch,” happened Saturday when two men entered Casa Blanca’s Jewelry store at 1100 East Walnut Ave., saying they wanted to sell some jewelry.
“After negotiating a price of $7,500 for the bags and testing the authenticity of the gold, the employee gave the men their money,” reported Dalton police spokesman Bruce Frazier. “When her back was turned, one of the suspects pulled out another bag and switched the bags.”
He says the men made off with both the cash and the original bag of gold jewelry.
“The store employees then discovered that the bag was a different weight, and while it was filled with similar items, they were fake,” he said.
Police are seeking the public’s help in finding the men, described as Hispanic males with slightly heavyset stocky builds. Both wore jeans, with one man wearing a dark blue polo shirt with white stripes and the other wearing a lighter blue or white shirt. One man had a pony tail and facial hair.
“One of the men presented a Nevada driver’s license during the transaction with the name Luis Solis, but this license came back as not registered when investigators ran a check,” Frazier said.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Dalton Police Department at 706-278-9085, extension 168.