Manali Jewellery/Gem Scam

Keshava · Oct 26th, 2009, 09:35

This scam seems so obvious to the average person with a reasonable degree of common sense - so I was amazed to find a young friend of mine from the States got sucked up in it a few weeks ago. It was his first time in India. He is a young guy just out of college - and I would say of above average intelligence. Very intellectually curious; a scholarly type. I'd just got back from India and understood that he was planning to be in India for another 6 months - so I was surprised to find him showing up at my door in NYC a few days after I'd returned. His story of how he got caught up in the whole thing was textbook. He'd been approached by someone at the evening aarati in Rishikesh by some fellow who owned a "legit" jewelery shop that boasted multiple credit card machines. No cash changed hands and he never handled any jewels - but of course they'd swiped his credit card "so they could prove he'd paid for the jewels they would be shipping to him - with the understanding that he would return them for full credit to one of their associates in the USA claiming that he was dissatisfied with the purchase." Afterwhich of course he would be paid a handsome fee. They provided him with an Indian cell phone at their own expense on which he could be contacted when he arrived in the USA. They took him to their home and introduced him to their family and wined and dined him for several days. Then a few days later - they came to him all in a panic saying that one of their other couriers had been caught and arrested. They pretended to be in a panic and claimed they'd had to handsomely bribe a customs agent to get him quickly out of the country and provided him with an airline ticket at their expense.

Apparently they were planning to charge his card for the jewels and the airline ticket, but this was the "Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight". They screwed up the initial charge and made multiple passes on the card and Visa became suspicious and shut down his account.

So he ended up back in New York in a panic thinking that Indian customs were waiting to arrest him if he returned to India. Of course nothing like that was true. So in the end - he suffered nothing worse than a shortened visit and some intense embarrassment.

Funnily enough, even after it was painfully obvious they'd tried to scam him, and the bank had shut down his account, the morons from Rishikesh were phoning him in the USA on the cell phone they'd provided - trying to convince him to un-freeze his account.

Brisso · Oct 26th, 2009, 10:43

Absolutley priceless - this should be a sticky. The fear of the authorities angle is interesting - I could see how a green traveller might panic and agree to anything in the face of possible "incarceration".

IchNurIch · Nov 17th, 2009, 02:55

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/w...ow/4827138.cms

machadinha · Nov 18th, 2009, 02:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by IchNurIch

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/w...ow/4827138.cms

Not bad as the umpteenth reminder of what should already be known really. Might have gotten more people to read it if you'd added its title or some paragraphs.

So the relevant paras of what is really not an extensive article in itself:

Quote:

12 Indians among 26 held in Nepal gem scandal

KATHMANDU: Nepal Police today claimed to have busted a multi-crore international gems scam by arresting 26 people, including a dozen Indians involved in cheating foreign tourists for decades by trapping them to pay money through their credit cards.

...

There were at least seven groups involved in the gems scam in which foreign tourists are cheated in the name of trading gems and they end up without delivering any goods but their credit cards were cashed in a dramatic way, said Superintendent of Police Nawaraj Silwal.

They will even produce fake custom officers, fake courier documents and make fake acts of going through all the legal processes to deliver the gems to the homes of the tourists. They even pack the gems in their presence through the courier but after the tourist is out the agents go to the courier and get back the packet.

The tourists thought that they have purchased gems and paid the money through their credit cards, but in fact, all the documents including the courier papers turn out to be fake and they will get nothing in return for their money.

(PTI, 27 July 2009, at again http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/w...ow/4827138.cms.)

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Oct 26th, 2009, 09:35	#46
Keshava Pahari-Wallah Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Noo Yawk Posts: 338	This scam seems so obvious to the average person with a reasonable degree of common sense - so I was amazed to find a young friend of mine from the States got sucked up in it a few weeks ago. It was his first time in India. He is a young guy just out of college - and I would say of above average intelligence. Very intellectually curious; a scholarly type. I'd just got back from India and understood that he was planning to be in India for another 6 months - so I was surprised to find him showing up at my door in NYC a few days after I'd returned. His story of how he got caught up in the whole thing was textbook. He'd been approached by someone at the evening aarati in Rishikesh by some fellow who owned a "legit" jewelery shop that boasted multiple credit card machines. No cash changed hands and he never handled any jewels - but of course they'd swiped his credit card "so they could prove he'd paid for the jewels they would be shipping to him - with the understanding that he would return them for full credit to one of their associates in the USA claiming that he was dissatisfied with the purchase." Afterwhich of course he would be paid a handsome fee. They provided him with an Indian cell phone at their own expense on which he could be contacted when he arrived in the USA. They took him to their home and introduced him to their family and wined and dined him for several days. Then a few days later - they came to him all in a panic saying that one of their other couriers had been caught and arrested. They pretended to be in a panic and claimed they'd had to handsomely bribe a customs agent to get him quickly out of the country and provided him with an airline ticket at their expense. Apparently they were planning to charge his card for the jewels and the airline ticket, but this was the "Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight". They screwed up the initial charge and made multiple passes on the card and Visa became suspicious and shut down his account. So he ended up back in New York in a panic thinking that Indian customs were waiting to arrest him if he returned to India. Of course nothing like that was true. So in the end - he suffered nothing worse than a shortened visit and some intense embarrassment. Funnily enough, even after it was painfully obvious they'd tried to scam him, and the bank had shut down his account, the morons from Rishikesh were phoning him in the USA on the cell phone they'd provided - trying to convince him to un-freeze his account.

Oct 26th, 2009, 10:43	#47
Brisso Specialist muddler Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Brisbane Posts: 1,084	Absolutley priceless - this should be a sticky. The fear of the authorities angle is interesting - I could see how a green traveller might panic and agree to anything in the face of possible "incarceration".

Nov 17th, 2009, 02:55	#48
IchNurIch Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Abroad Posts: 8	http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/w...ow/4827138.cms