Headlines

Fraudster Tries to Buy Jewelry, but Ridiculous ID Kills the Deal

Published

6 years ago

November 24, 2017

INSTORE Staff

He used the photo of a well-known TV personality.

A fraudster attempted to scam an Aspen, CO, jeweler out of a gold chain, but when he faxed a copy of his supposed driver’s license, the jig was up.

The ID bore a photo of deceased TV celebrity Ed McMahon, the Aspen Times reports.

Katherine Whipple, who owns Katherine LeGrand Custom Goldsmith, recognized the man in the photo “as some actor.”

The caller “sounded foreign and young” and therefore didn’t seem to match the photo of McMahon, she told the newspaper.

McMahon, who spent 30 years as the sidekick of talk show host and comedian Johnny Carson, died in 2009.

The fraudster had called seeking to buy a chain for $3,800. Although a credit card transaction went through, Whipple noticed several red flags. She asked the caller to forward a copy of his ID before she’d ship the merchandise.

The Utah license that was faxed was for a “Jack Harry.”

Whipple “voided the transaction, tracked down the actual credit card owner and warned him that someone was attempting to use it,” according to the Times.

Read more at the Aspen Times

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