If you recently purchased a diamond or ruby ring at a Costco in Arizona, you might want to have it looked at by a jeweler to verify its authenticity.
Costco recently discovered that Keisha Joice of Mesa, Arizona, allegedly went into numerous Costco locations across Arizona and swapped out real diamond and ruby rings for "fake" doppelgangers that she got from Walmart.
Joice pulled off the heist by going up to the jewelry counters in multiple Costco stores and asking the attendant to let her "try on" the rings. Joice had a fake ring ready in her hand and would quickly switch the rings and give the fake one back to the jewelry clerk.
Allegedly, Joice was able to pull off this "ring switch" stunt at no less than five different Costco locations across Arizona, including stores in Cave Creek, Gilbert, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, and Chandler.
She was finally caught after performing a "swap" at the Costco in Cave Creek earlier this week. After interacting with Joice, a store attendant noticed that one of the rings in the Costco jewelry display had a "Walmart" price tag on it, and that tipped her off to call authorities and report the incident.
Authorities later found out that Joice took the rings to a pawn shop in Arizona to trade them in for quick cash. In total, Joice was able to "switch out" over $8,500 worth of jewelry from Costco. Joice, who, according to reports, has an extensive history with the law, is currently facing charges for her actions.
If only she had removed that Walmart sticker.
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