AST warns of 2 new scams

The Alaska State Troopers (AST) and Alaska Bureau of Investigations (ABI) are warning residents and visitors to beware of scammers in Alaska, with two types of scams being reported across the state--a "Cash for Gold" scam, and the Violin scam.

The Cash for Gold scam is conducted by someone offering to exchange high end jewelry for cash to replace lost ID's, or to fix their vehicle. The jewelry is typically counterfeit upon inspection. There was several cases last year where the scammer has gotten confrontational or physical with residents.

The violin scam is involves an actor pretending to be a street performer while prerecorded music plays on a speaker with the intent to solicit donations from passersby. They tend to have a high-visibility cardboard sign with CashApp or Venmo accounts listed with a plea for assistance.

“Not all people offering to exchange jewelry or playing a violin are scammers but be aware that this could be an attempt at scamming Alaska residents,” AST warned in a social media post.

Please contact the Alaska State Troopers or your local law enforcement agency to report any contacts with people suspected of attempting to scam people.