OXNARD : Man, Woman Held in Fake Gold Bar Scheme

An Oxnard woman’s suspicion led to the arrests of two people Wednesday in connection with a fake gold bar scheme similar to one that has left a trail of victims throughout Ventura County in the past year, police said.

The arrests came after a 39-year-old woman, whose name was not released, told police she had been approached by a man and a woman in the parking lot of a Oxnard drugstore at Centerpoint Mall on Saviers Road who showed her a shiny bar they said was gold and valued at more than $20,000. They then asked for her help in returning it to its owner.

The woman refused to cooperate and left to call police. When officers arrived, she directed them to the couple who were still in the area.

Victor Berrera, 47, of Los Angeles, and Paula Canyas, 44, were arrested on suspicion of attempted grand theft.

Although Wednesday’s scam was cut short, police say the couple’s approach mirrored that of other cases reported in Oxnard, Ventura, Fillmore and Camarillo in recent months.

Although there are dozens of variations, the scheme usually involves the suspects asking for the victim’s help and then offering to sell the victim the gold bar at a reduced price or split the profits from its sale, Oxnard Detective Len Newcomb said.

As a show of good faith, the victim is asked to withdraw money from a nearby bank. Then, Newcomb said, “when they get their hands on the victim’s money they split.”

In Wednesday’s case, the fake gold bar was not found because one of the suspects threw it into a passing truck, Newcomb said.