Riverside County sheriff’s officials Friday advised Coachella Valley residents to be on alert to potential financial scams that have become more common, resulting in thefts and robberies.
“The area has experienced a recent uptick in a variety of sophisticated criminal groups victimizing the public,” sheriff’s Capt. Dean Agnoletto at the agency’s Palm Desert station said. “Many of these criminals are foreign nationals and believed to be associated with organized crime and are potentially dangerous.”
According to Agnoletto, in some instances, residents have been accosted by unknown individuals while walking through parking lots, and the suspects ask or comment on the jewelry the victim is wearing, “resulting in theft.”
“There are scams where the subject will tell members of the public that their money is not safe and to bring large sums of cash to them so they can help secure it,” the captain said.
He said there have also been incidents in which individuals identifying themselves as representatives of law enforcement agencies have requested money for the benefit of the agencies, but the solicitations are bogus.
“We realize many families are experiencing financial hardship lately; therefore, they find the need to sell items to make ends meet,” he said. “During some of these transactions, victims have been robbed at gunpoint for the items or money.”
He noted that not all of the transactions can be characterized as criminal, but he reminded residents to utilize “a well-populated area for transactions, like a store parking lot or even the sheriff’s department’s parking lot, for safety.”
Anyone who has been victimized or suspects illegal activity was encouraged to contact the agency’s Coachella Valley Dispatch Center at 760-836-3215.