In My View – Stranded Motorist – Doubtful – First Hand Look at Jewelry Scam in Northumberland County
It was shortly before 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 while driving eastbound on County Road 2, just east of Brookside Road in Alnwick/Haldimand Township.
Spotting a person waving, appearing in distress, I pulled over in front of a pickup truck.
Immediately I thought of the scam warnings that OPP have released recently.
In their release, police said the scammers say they are broken down and on their way to a destination and offer jewelry in exchange for money.
This was exactly what happened, but I wanted to see it play out.
A man approached, clasped his hands together, appearing to be almost blessing me for stopping.
He stated he was in dire straights. He was out of gas and heading to Montreal.
But lucky enough for me – he had a 18 karat gold ring that he was willing to part with in exchange for a few hundred dollars.
Taking off the ring he handed it to me.
When questioned where it said the type of gold, he indicated it was on the inside of the ring. It likely was, but with these old eyes, it was hard to see.
Asking if I could take a photo of the ring, he seemed hesitant, but I managed to take a few photos of both thing ring and the “seller.”
The sob story went on for a short time while I was trying to figure out how to turn on my cell phone video camera.
Once I did, I indicated that he was being recorded and that I was a reporter.
That seemed to be the end of the dialogue as he quickly made his way back to the pickup getting into the rear side of the drivers side.
Although the vehicle was heading east, and the sun was setting in the west, the two men in the front both had their visors down.
So much for being short on fuel as all three men sped away.
It’s extremely unfortunate that there are people like this who prey on the good will of people willing to help them.
It’s what society has become – unfortunately.
The only thing we can do is advise others of the scam and hopefully make people aware these people are out there.
Northumberland OPP Warn Public Regarding Jewelry Scam Re-Circulating
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love