CYPRESS HILLS, Brooklyn (PIX11) – Two men robbed a 93-year-old Brooklyn woman of $3,000 in jewelry by tricking her in a scam, police said.
The incident happened on July 17 around 11:20 a.m. in Cypress Hills, according to the NYPD. The victim lost beloved heirlooms, including a bracelet, rings and other jewelry that she said was worth at least $3,000.
The 93-year-old woman was sitting with her daughter in front of her home near Glen Street and Euclid Avenue. The victim said two men approached her and asked if she had any jewelry to sell.
“‘We buy jewelry, even if it’s gold or not gold.’ They said, ‘Do you have something?’ And she said, ‘Yes, I have something,'” the victim’s daughter told PIX11 News.
The victim then went inside her home to get everything she had in hopes the men would buy it.
The men asked the woman to hand over the jewelry so they could “test” it, to see whether or not it was gold, according to police.
“They said, ‘We will see if it’s gold or not. The guy said, ‘Oh no, it’s no gold,'” the victim’s daughter said.
The men apparently said the jewelry was fake, gave the woman a couple hundred dollars and then took off.
“They paid her $220 for the stuff she gave to them,” the victim’s daughter said.
That’s the scam. The men gave her a little money for jewelry worth thousands of dollars.
“She said, ‘Oh my God, they took my bracelet. They robbed me,'” the victim’s daughter said.
The 93-year-old woman is originally from Ecuador and worked as a seamstress for many years. She said she is normally cautious and never thought she would become a victim.
“I’m scared because maybe they come back,” the victim said.
“Thank God they didn’t have a knife or a gun. Imagine if they said, ‘Let me come inside to your house,'” the victim’s daughter said.
Police released surveillance images of the suspects.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
