This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Police are seeking the public's help in identifying and bringing to justice two women who have bilked multiple victims in a scam combining a hard luck story with fake diamonds.
Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal said Wednesday that the latest incident involving the suspects — identified as two Latinas, one in her mid-20s, 4-foot-11 and 95 pounds and the other about 40, 5-foot-6 and 180 pounds — occurred at the Taylorsville Wal-Mart store.
One of the women "confronted the victim and told her that her husband was in the hospital and she was selling a diamond for $5,000. [The second suspect] then told the victim that she was buying one as well to help [and] that the diamonds were worth $14,000 and she was buying one for $10,000."
Duped, the victim agreed to buy one of the diamonds. The two suspects went to the bank with her, one of the women staying in a car while the second one went inside with the victim.
After handing over the $5,000, the woman subsequently learned her diamond was really glass.
Similar fake diamond scams have been reported in multiple Salt Lake Valley locales over the past couple months.
Anyone with information about the women pictured is asked to call UPD at 385-468-9447.
Twitter: @remims