Residents are being warned of a fake leather jacket scam operating in the Sutherland Shire after an Engadine man was duped of $300 this week.
The scam has been perfected over more than a decade with reports of victims in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
Government warnings were issued in Western Australia in 2015 after several people were duped by charlatans selling jackets they claimed to be Italian leather but were instead were made in Asia from cheap materials such as vinyl.
The shire resident, who requested that his name be withheld, said he was leaving the Engadine library when a man in the car park in a new white SUV wound down his window and asked for directions to the airport.
"I explained to him that the airport was 40 minutes away,'' the Engadine man said.
''He told me that he owned a fashion company in Milan and I told him that I had been to Milan and we got chatting.
''He was very well spoken and friendly and gave me his business card.
''He then asked me what jacket size I wore and he went to the boot and pulled out a jacket and offered it to me at a discounted price for helping him''.
The Engadine man said the Italian national then tried to offer him a deal for three jackets, two leather and one suede, for $2000 but when he declined he kept reducing the price until he had him hooked for $300.
But it wasn't until the shire man got home that he became suspicious and did an online search which revealed a similar scam had been operating in Western Australia in recent years where PVC jackets were being flogged as leather jackets and sheepskin jackets were being passed off as suede.
''The jackets were beautifully presented in a plastic bag with 'Made in Italy' across the bag," the Engadine man said.
''They're nice looking jackets and I'll probably wear them but they're all probably worth less than $100.
''He was just so convincing.''
In 2015 WAScamNet issued a warning on its website following a number of similar scams in Western Australia.
''A man with an Italian accent, going by the name of Mr Antonio, has been selling jackets, which he claims to be leather and made by the designer Giorgio Armani," WAScamNet warned.
''One man was approached by 'Mr Antonio' at a café in Claremont and got chatting as they were both Italian.
''The man paid $2,000 in cash for clothing but later called Consumer Protection to report that he thought the jacket was fake and made of PVC.
''Other people report being approached in South Perth by a 'Mr Antonio' who claims to be from Milan and says he works in fashion/has been at a fashion show and wants directions to the airport.
''These people were offered jackets/coats out of the boot of a white SUV.
''Consumers are being approached at shopping centre car parks, in the street, at petrol stations and even at traffic lights to buy so-called designer label Italian leather jackets.
''The silver-tongued salesmen are usually well dressed and of Italian origin. They frequently have some story about needing directions or having attended trade shows and having excess stock.
''These charlatans often claim the jackets are worth in excess of $1000 but you can purchase them for a few hundred dollars. The jackets, however, are worth far less than that and are often made in Asia from cheap materials such as vinyl.
''Consumer Protection had one set of jackets tested and found they were made of sheep hide and PVC, and had a wholesale value of around $50 to $100.''
There are 17 pages worth of entries about this scam on Ripoff Report, dating back to 2004.
The scam has been perfected over more than a decade and plays on basic human decency.
The Engadine man who was duped of $300 contacted the Leader to warn other shire residents not to be as trusting has he was.
''I'm 76 and I am very aware of the dangers of scams but he certainly got me.''
