“The victim was shopping alone at Target when she was approached by an older gentleman who appeared to be distraught and needed some help,” Detective Doug Teachworth with the Lynnwood Police Department said.

The elderly man was caught on surveillance video telling the woman his fake sob story when a second man approached the woman.

“Along came a second person that just happens to be walking by, or at least pretended to be walking by, who walks up to the old man and the victim and decided he would try to help them out,” Teachworth said.

According to police, the elderly man had told the victim and younger man that he had three gold bars in his briefcase that he needed to sell in a hurry for his poor uncle.

The second man suggested they take the bars to a nearby Kohl’s store to have the bars appraised.

The woman and the two men walked out of Target and the younger man took the bars into Kohl’s for appraisal.

The woman told police she wanted to go inside but the older man asked her to stay with him while he continued to talk about his uncle.

The younger male came outside some time later and told the two that the Kohl’s jeweler said each brick was solid 24 carat gold and that the jeweler had purchased one for $15,000.

The older man offered to sell the woman and younger man the other two bricks for $3,000 each.

The three walked to a nearby Bank of America where the woman withdrew $3,000 from her savings account.

They walked back to Target where the woman gave the older man $3,000 for the gold brick.

After the men left with her money, the woman realized the gold bar was fake and alerted police of the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call Lynnwood police immediately.