In the Old City of Jerusalem, Israeli police have detained a suspicious merchant accused of scamming a foreign tourist. According to the investigation, the man deceived the woman and took almost $ 1,900 from her credit card to purchase an ashtray.
According to information from the Israeli newspaper “Israel Hayom”, the incident took place this week. The suspect approached a 60-year-old tourist who was smoking outside his shop. He offered to buy an ashtray for her, after which he quoted a price of 30,000 Israeli shekels (about $8,000). Due to the woman’s lack of such a sum, the merchant offered her another option. He handed her $800 and stated that it was financial support for the duration of her stay, hinting at the possibility of withdrawing additional funds from her credit card. In the end, he secured an agreement to buy an ashtray for $2,700.
Later, the woman realized she had fallen into the trap of a fraudster, and went to the bank to return the $ 1,900 left from the merchant for the ashtray.
As soon as the cashiers demanded proof of purchase, she was denied. An attempt to return to the merchant for a document confirming the transaction also failed, and as a result, she contacted the police.
Police began interrogating the suspect after listening to the woman’s story. A police spokesman from the investigations department said: “We are vigorously prosecuting the scammers, using all available methods to punish them for their actions.” He also stressed that such incidents damage the country’s reputation and efforts to develop tourism, especially in the historic Old City.