Perth_Mint_Fake.jpg

Bend police want to talk to people in the Bend community who purchased Royal Canadian Mint bars or Perth Mint bars from someone other than a dealer between last July and Tuesday. (Bend Police Department)

Bend police have arrested a pair of 17-year-old boys and accused them of selling artificial gold bars as the real thing to unsuspecting customers.

The suspects received over $50,000 in cash and other goods for the artificial gold, according to a Bend Police Department news release. Bend police recovered some of the money used to purchase the artificial gold bars.

The suspects were arrested Tuesday at their homes in Bend and jailed in the Deschutes County Juvenile Department.

One suspect is accused of two counts of aggravated theft by deception, three counts of theft by deception and false pretenses, six counts of felony computer crime, six counts of felony criminal conspiracy and money laundering.

The other suspect is accused of aggravated theft by deception, three counts of theft by deception and false pretenses, five counts of felony computer crime and five counts of felony criminal conspiracy.

The juveniles are accused of using websites to buy artificial gold bars that resembled authentic gold bars and selling the bars as genuine to Bend residents over the past year.

"The juveniles were sophisticated and used multiple ways to conceal their identity and scheme," the news release says, adding that the suspects targeted potential customers through Craigslist and set up meetings in Bend and Redmond to make the transactions.

Bend police received a first report on Feb. 24 regarding gold bars. Similar reports followed through Tuesday identifying two male juvenile suspects.

Bend police want to talk to people in the Bend community who purchased Royal Canadian Mint bars or Perth Mint bars from someone other than a dealer between last July and Tuesday. Bend police can be reached at 541-693-6911.

-- Allan Brettman