Jeweller, 86, offers £10,000 reward for identity of ‘crook who switched gold chains for a bag of worthless trinkets in sleight of hand con’
- Tony Peach, 86, paid £6,000 for six gold chains which were switched for fakes
- The trickster came into his shop in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales on November 12
- Police haven’t been able to track him down despite CCTV footage from the shop
- Mr Peach, who’s been a jeweller for 70 years, said he is ‘gutted’ at being duped
A jeweller is offering a £10,000 reward to anyone who can identify the crook who switched valuable gold jewellery for a bag of worthless trinkets.
Tony Peach, 86, is £6,000 out of pocket after being tricked by a conman who swapped out six 18-carat gold chains for costume jewellery at his shop in South Wales.
CCTV from his jewellery shop shows close-up pictures of the swindler but police have failed to track him down.
Mr Peach, a jeweller for 70 years, wants other gold dealers to be on the look-out for the crafty conman.
Tony Peach, 86, is £6,000 out of pocket after being tricked by a conman (pictured) who swapped out six 18-carat gold chains for costume jewellery at his shop in South Wales
Mr Peach (pictured), a jeweller for 70 years, wants other gold dealers to be on the look-out for the crafty conman
The conman, who Mr Peach said had a European accent, came into Jane Allen jewellers in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales on November 12
He said: ‘I’m sure he’s done this before and he will do it again unless he’s stopped.
CCTV from his jewellery shop shows close-up pictures of the swindler but police have failed to track him down
‘He came in as bold as brass and must have been aware we have security cameras everywhere.
‘He was filmed switching the gold, it was sleight of hand but I shouldn’t have been taken in.’
The trickster told staff at Mr Peach’s shop in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales he had gold chains to sell and removed six from around his neck.
The veteran jeweller tested them with acid in his workshop and offered him £6,000 for the 18-carat gold chains.
Mr Peach said: ‘He turned it down saying he’d have to ask his mother and we handed the chains back.
‘But he changed his mind so we gave him the £6,000 and he handed over the chains inside a gauze bag.
‘Minutes after he’d gone I looked inside the bag and knew straight away he’d switched the chains for worthless trinkets weighing about the same.’
Mr Peach, who started as a jeweller the same year the late Queen was crowned, was ‘gutted’ at being duped on Saturday November 12.
He said: ‘We’ve been stuffed but it’s entirely my fault, I know the ropes, I should have known what was happening.’
‘But he was very skilled, he’s a magician, a trained artist. I know all about these artists because when I was a kid I worked at the circus and I’ve seen it.’
The trickster told staff at Mr Peach’s shop in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales he had gold chains to sell and removed six from around his neck
The veteran jeweller tested them with acid in his workshop and offered him £6,000 for the 18-carat gold chains
Grandfather Mr Peach, whose shop is called Jane Allen, said the gold chains legally belong to him because he paid £6,000 for them.
But he fears the conman, who spoke with a European accent, is using them to pull off the same stunt at other jewellers up and down the country.
He added: ‘My revenge will be to get him caught and prevent this from happening to anyone else.’
A South Wales Police spokeswoman said: ‘We are investigating a theft where a suspect selling gold swapped bags with costume-like jewellery without the jeweller knowing.’
Source: Read Full Article
