Recently, a woman was approached by an unidentified male while shopping at the Wal-Mart store in Salem. The suspect claimed he needed mo ney for legal expenses and offered to sell her a gold bar for a fraction of its worth. A second suspect soon became involved in the conversation and claimed he verified the bar was genuine and worth a great deal of money. The first suspect agreed to sell the bar to the victim for whatever cash she had at her house. The victim purchased the bar, but later learned it was a not a real gold bar. The primary suspect called himself “Jorge.” He is described as a Hispanic male in his early 40s, 5’04” to 5’05”, light-skinned, medium build with black hair and a thin mustache. Suspect number two is described as a Hispanic male in his late 40s, 5’06” to 5’08”, light skinned, thin build and a clean appearance. The Salem Police Department has obtained surveillance photographs and is seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspects. Anyone having information about these subjects is asked to call Sergeant Jim Welsh at 503-588-6175. The Salem Police Department also wants to remind people that if someone you do not know approaches you with an unsolicited deal that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
