In August we ran two stories about several jewelers that were called by out of town “customers” looking to purchase loose diamonds using a credit card. In most cases the “customer” identified himself as a business owner from California wanting to purchase stones with detailed specifications.
We continue to receive a great deal of feedback from readers who have experienced very similar situations. Most recently we were contacted by May McDaniel of GDA Jewelers in Lexington, KY. Here’s what May had to say:
“Well… it seems that he’s up to it again! I read your story about the scam that happened to a jewelry store in Louisville, Ky. and it sounded exactly like the phone call we received about the same time (we did not respond because we could not find anything about him). At the time he used the name Ken Wilson. Today I received another phone call from the same man (using) the name of James Dunbar. He is in a hurry to buy a round brilliant cut diamond – SI-1/VS-2 clarity, D-G color, triple X with no fluorescence, approximately 1.25 carats. His wife currently has a 1 carat old mine cut that is in the I clarity range with color that you can see. He has a construction company in California (dunbarconstruction613@gmail.com or call him at 213-297-7055). He wants to spend about $10-12,000 and is in a hurry. His daughter goes to the University of Kentucky – medical school.
Thanks for you article warning jewelers about this – but like I said… He’s back!!!”
Thank you to May and all the other jewelers who have taken the time to contact us to try to prevent fellow jewelers from getting ripped off. Our previous articles on this topic can be found here: https://southernjewelrynews.com/latest-news/other-news/3585-kentucky-jeweler-identifies-credit-card-scam and here: https://southernjewelrynews.com/latest-news/other-news/3591-alert-diamond-buying-by-phone-scam-more-prevalent-than-expected.
