Two men suspected of buying diamonds with fake credit cards

An observant jewelry store clerk helped deputies arrest two men accused of using a fraudulent credit card to buy a $3,000 diamond cross necklace Sunday at the Camarillo store, police said.

Hrach Utudjian, a 23-year-old Glendale resident, and 30yearold Varden Baltanyan of North Hollywood were arrested around 4:30 p.m. April 22 by Ventura County sheriff's deputies about a mile from the Ultra Diamonds jewelry store on Ventura Boulevard.

Utudjian and Baltanyan are accused of using fake credit cards and a counterfeit California driver's license to purchase the diamond necklace.

Police recovered the credit cards and jewelry from the men's car when it was spotted and stopped in the Old Town area.

Both men were charged with burglary, forgery and identity theft and released on bail. They are due back in court later this week.

Beverly Peterson, a salesperson at the chain jewelry store, said employees became suspicious of the men because they were in the store for just a few minutes before deciding to buy the necklace.

"They went directly to the piece, took one look at it and said, 'Okay, I'll buy it,'" Peterson said. "Most people don't buy a couple thousand dollar piece that fast."

Peterson said another store employee recognized one of the men from an earlier visit to the store. When asked about the prior visit, Peterson said, the man denied having been in before.

She said employees' suspicions grew when the men used three different credit cards to purchase the necklace. She said they also tried to buy a $4,000 diamond ring but none of the credit card issuers would approve the purchase.

The saleswoman said one of the men began acting strangely once the purchase was made.

"One of them was shaking, kind of twitching, almost, when the piece was handed to them," Peterson said.

An employee watched the men walk out to their car, then called 911 to report the suspected theft. Senior Dep. Julie Novak of the Camarillo Police Department said the clerk's description of the car led to the quick arrest.

"It was a great arrest," Novak said. "Unfortunately, that's not always the case."

Novak said retail theft is on the rise and criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated at identity theft and the production of fake credit cards.

Police continue to remind store owners to always ask for identification when shoppers make credit card purchases, Novak said. She said retailers often don't ask for identification because they don't want to inconvenience their customers.

"I genuinely don't think buyers would mind (sellers) asking for ID," Novak said.

Peterson said Ultra Diamonds' store policy requires employees to request identification on all credit card purchases.

Police said residents should periodically check their credit reports to ensure their account information isn't being used by someone else. Novak said a free credit report can be obtained at www.annualcreditreport.com.

According to the company's website, Chicago-based Ultra Diamonds has 151 stores nationwide and is the seventh largest jewelry retailer in the United States.