Toronto man arrested trying to sell fake jewelry to off-duty Hamilton cop: police
The 29-year-old is charged with fraud under $5,000
A Toronto man was arrested, police say, after trying to sell an off-duty Hamilton police officer some costume jewelry he claimed was solid gold.
The officer and his family were parked at a shopping centre near the corner of Barton Street East and Centennial Parkway Monday afternoon, police say, when a man pulled up next to him and tried to sell some jewelry.
Investigators say the alleged fraudster was offering what he claimed was 10-karat gold jewelry for $300, saying he needed money for gas.
Police say the officer told the man he wasn't interested, but the man got out of his car, approached the other vehicle and stuck his head through the window while trying to talk about the officer's children.
The man, from Scarborough in Toronto's east end, was ordered away from the vehicle, according to investigators, and the officer identified himself as an employee of the Hamilton Police Service.
The alleged fraudster tried to flee, police say, but wasn't able to get away.
A passerby called police and told the officer the man had tried to get him to buy into the same sales pitch just moments earlier.
A 29-year-old man is charged with fraud under $5,000.
The jewelry was seized as evidence and police have determined it has a value between $2 and $10.