On November 18, 2015 at approximately 1:15 pm, a shopper was approached in the Safeway parking lot on Winchester Blvd. and Budd Avenue by an individual asking for directions. The conversation took an odd turn when the other individual started talking about working for Italian designer Emporio Armani. He then presented the shopper with a business card and said that he was returning to Italy, but didn’t want to pay taxes on several expensive leather jackets that he still had. The shopper felt uneasy and after leaving the store did some quick research.
The shopper realized he had almost fallen victim to a well-known scam. What occurred in the Safeway shopping center is very similar to a fraud scheme that has been occurring in other areas of the U.S. and worldwide. Just as what occurred in this incident, a person offers the victim an incredible deal on jackets, and will go so far as to follow them to an ATM to get cash in exchange for the luxury merchandise. Unfortunately, the victim finds out after the scam artist makes a hasty departure that the jackets are not even real leather.
In the Campbell incident, the shopper describes the suspicious person as a white male adult in his mid-30s, 5’8” tall, with short, light-colored hair. He is described as being very personable and speaks with a thick Italian accent. He was seen driving a newer model, 4-door black Jeep. At this time we would like to warn the community of this potential scam and to be vigilant of this type of suspicious behavior.
Anyone who may have contact with or sees this person is asked to contact the Campbell Police Department at (408) 866-2101.
