Bajan Man Issues Warning About Gold Scammers: Two Men Steal Jewelry under Pretense of Exchanging Gold
November 17, 2024
Elderly man in Barbados warns against gold exchange scam after falling victim to non-nationals who melted down his jewelry in front of him. Police involved, urging vigilance.
An elderly man is warning Barbadians not to fall victim to people walking around proposing to buy their gold or swap it.
Seventy-five year-old Jefferson Walcott of St George is more than qualified to speak after two men made off with two rings and two necklaces on their third visit to his home.
The men, who he said were non-nationals, first appeared in his neighbourhood in early October asking if he had gold to swap. After saying no, they told him they wanted an impression of the pattern on his jewellery and gave it back to him.
They returned two weeks ago and again he told them he had no gold to swap. Last week Tuesday they came by again and for the third time, he said he, repeated he had none of the precious metal to exchange for any of the merchandise they had.
“He said, ‘well, if you give me one more pattern, I will give you a tablet with a phone’; this is a Samsung tablet with a phone,” Walcott stated.
According to him, he handed one of the men the watch he got for a retirement gift and they sprayed it with a substance over a cup.
“They took all my gold. They had one ring – a whole ring, one whole chain, a chain that’s broken and a ring that’s broken. . . and put it inside the cup and burn it in front of me; melt
down everything in front of me,” he said.
‘Messed with my head’
The former coral stone mason is not sure what happened for the next 15 minutes or so. As he saw the men getting further in the distance, he went into his house and sat on the bed, trying to collect himself, he reported.
“They messed with my head,” he said. He made reports to the police at Glebe, St George, at Central Police Station in The City and then was taken to Boarded Hall, back in St George. Police told him to give them a call if he saw the two men again.
“I ain’t want it happen to nobody else. I don’t want it to happen to anybody else. They put it in a cup in front of my eyes and melt them down,” Walcott said.
“I would like the public to know. They ain’t hurt me, because it is just gold,” he said.
Gold is trading at just over US$2 500 per ounce. Acting police public relations officer Sergeant Liesl Gabriel said the service was investigating, adding it would take time. ( SAT)
