Palo Alto ‘Jewelry Swap’ Theft Under Investigation

PALO ALTO, CA — An elderly woman’s gold necklace was stolen Thursday morning in a “jewelry swap,” and the two suspects sought in connection with the grand theft remain at large, Palo Alto police said.

No injuries were reported.

The victim, a woman in her 60s, at around 11:11 a.m. Thursday reported being the victim of a grand theft in the parking lot of a Walgreens at 4170 El Camino Real about an hour earlier, police said.

Investigators determined that the victim parked and exited her car when a white sedan, driven by a man with a female passenger, pulled up to her asking for directions to the freeway, police said.

After the victim provided directions, the female suspect motioned the victim to move closer to the car, thanking her for the directions by placing a ring on the victim’s finger.

The victim told the suspect that it wasn’t necessary, returning the ring and backing away, police said.

The suspect then exited her car and placed a necklace around the victim’s neck, apparently to thank her for giving them the directions.

The victim then walked away, and the suspects drove off in an unknown direction.

It wasn’t until the victim got home that she realized that the female suspect had stolen her gold necklace valued at over $1,000 from around her neck, police said.

The victim described the suspects as both being between 50 and 60 years old, possibly of Indian descent, police said. The male had a black beard.

The victim could not provide additional details.

No similar jewelry swap crimes have been reported to police recently in Palo Alto.

The most recent such case occurred in May 2022, and there were two others before that dating back to October 2021.

Detectives are investigating to see if there is any connection between the cases, or with any other similar crimes in other cities. The prior cases remain unsolved as well, with no suspects identified.

Police urge adult children and caregivers of elderly residents discuss these recent incidents with them and make them aware of the scam.

Police also recommend that people remain aware of their surroundings and to be cautious if approached by a stranger or occupants of an unfamiliar vehicle.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.