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Rancho Cucamonga, CA—Not every jeweler's painful loss from a theft is scary or potentially violent. On August 31, the black male suspect pictured identified himself as a physician and was wearing blue scrubs on a visit to a retail jewelry store.

When his check for an $8,000 purchase was processed by the jeweler’s POS system, the store received a notice that the check required further authorization and a call to the Authorization Center. However, the suspect verbally provided a code which was entered and accepted by the POS system.

The Jewelers Security Alliance (JSA) warns jewelers to be on the lookout for fraud as well as potential robberies. Fraudsters will often pose as successful and trustworthy individuals.

The suspect is approximately mid 40s and tall with a slim to medium build. The suspect has used the name Chris Valentino in this and previous check frauds to obtain a variety of jewelry and watch products. Anyone with information is asked to contact JSA at (212) 687-0328 or jsa2@jewelerssecurity.org.

JSA offers the following recommendations to avoid being taken in by fraud:

1. Criminals will often claim identities as doctors, sports figures or successful business persons. This is not the first time a thief has worn scrubs to create confidence on the part of a sales associate. 

2. Never accept authorization codes, bank and credit card telephone numbers, or any other information from customers when a sale is flagged with a problem. The sales associate must independently obtain the correct telephone number or other information from reliable sources.