Deputies seek Santa Barbara couple who ripped off foriegn student

Posted: Sep 1, 2010 12:36 PM by Kelly Orsini
Updated: Sep 1, 2010 2:13 PM

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Deputies are hoping surveillance photos will help them catch a couple who scammed a Chinese student out of hundreds of dollars. They say the crime happened just hours after the victim arrived in Santa Barbara to attend a three-month English language course.

Deputies say the 23-year-old student was shopping for an iPhone 4 at an Apple kiosk inside Macy's on August 11, when he was approached by a man who said the victim would be charged more money because he is from out of the country. The suspect offered to help the victim buy a phone for less money. The victim agreed to give the suspect $700.

Deputies say the suspect, who was with a woman and a young girl, drove the victim to a cell phone store in Goleta. The store was closed, but the woman said she could go in the back door and pick up the phone for the victim. When the student reminded the couple he wanted an iPhone 4, he was told it would be another $200, which he handed over to the suspects. As the woman went to the back of the building, deputies say the male suspect took the victim to a nearby gas station to buy sodas. When the suspect and student were in the gas station, the suspect claimed he needed to go grab his wallet from his car but said he would be back. The victim waited at the gas station for two hours before the clerk called authorities.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the sheriff's department.