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‘Rolex Rippers’ Still Busy In UK; Insurance Scammers Use Fake Rolex Theft Claims In USA October 27, 2021 (0 comments)
Dorset, England—Older British men continue to be targeted by female thieves dubbed the “Rolex Rippers.”
Earlier this year, a spate of Rolex thefts occurred on or near various exclusive golf clubs in the south of England, primarily in the Bournemouth, Southampton, and Portsmouth areas. The latest robberies have occurred in the Dorset area, about 20 miles west of the earlier incidents, bringing the total to about 22 Rolexes stolen in the area.
Related: Female Con Artists Ripping Rolexes Off Men’s Arms
The Dorset Echo reports similarities between the victims’ accounts, which follow the same MO as the earlier incidents: the women are described as Eastern European, or possibly Spanish or Portugese, and speaking broken English. The women typically approach the victim and ask for directions or for him to sign a petition for a charity. Afterwards, they hug him enthusiastically and slip the Rolex off his arm unnoticed.
Dorset police have issued a plea for members of the public to remain vigilant, particularly if they are wearing expensive watches or items of jewelry, says the paper.
"We would continue to urge anyone who has been a victim of an offence of this nature to report it to police and we would also like to hear from anyone who has come across expensive watches such as Rolexes being offered for sale in suspicious circumstances.
"The victims in these cases are generally men aged around 70 or older and we would urge members of the public to talk to any elderly relatives who could be targeted by this kind of offending to make them aware of these incidents. [A] genuine charity worker should have no issue with showing their identification if required to do so.”
Separately, a North Carolina man was charged with insurance fraud after falsely reporting two Rolex watches stolen in order to collect insurance money from United Property & Casualty. Insurance Journal reports the case is very similar to another that occurred in Seattle, where a man who claimed to have lost a Rolex worth almost $15,000 actually sold it to a rare coins dealer after filing a claim with USAA.