Morgan Hill Police arrested a San Jose man this morning who is accused of scamming hundreds of dollars—or more—from employees of local businesses by telling a sad story about recent personal unfortunate circumstances that can be solved with a loan of a few dollars.
After the suspect conned more than half a dozen unsuspecting strangers in this manner in recent months, Bay Area television station KSBW last week ran a series of news reports about the alleged scammer and his methods.
Following the media coverage, MHPD identified the suspect as Jayson Wayne Goodrich. MHPD Sgt. Troy Hoefling said officers arrested Goodrich on a $40,000 felony warrant out of San Jose the morning of Jan. 8, as Goodrich was leaving a motel in San Jose. MHPD also booked him on suspicion of four misdemeanor counts of theft by false pretenses.
Goodrich allegedly approached employees at four Morgan Hill businesses, at different times, and told his targeted victims that he had lost his wallet and his car had broken down, according to police and victims. To top it off, Goodrich would even tell the victim that his father-in-law had recently become sick. He would then ask the victims if he could borrow some cash so he could tow his vehicle, promising to return shortly to pay them back.
Except he never returned each time a victim handed him the cash, according to police. Goodrich allegedly succeeded in scamming employees of GVA Café, Le Pooch Grooming, Quilts and Things and Coffee Guys in Morgan Hill, from late 2017 to the first days of January.
A follow-up report on KSBW last week noted that after their initial story on Goodrich, they heard from victims in Gilroy, San Jose, Santa Clara, Hollister and other communities who claimed he scammed them in a similar way.
Hoefling added that Goodrich’s fraudulent scheme spans a much larger region, highlighting the need for other victims to come forward.
“Over the last six months, he has gone everywhere from Sacramento to King City doing this on a daily basis, trying to get $1,000 a day to support a drug habit, and to live on,” Hoefling said.
Christina Wong, a barista at Coffee Guys, said she was working when Goodrich perpetrated the scam at the shop on East Third Street. He entered the shop looking “frazzled and confused,” and relayed the tale about his lost wallet and broken-down vehicle. He also told the coffee crew that he worked at a construction site next door. Wong said her co-worker fell for the scam, and gave Goodrich $150 of her personal money, which she expected to be reimbursed later that day.
After receiving the cash at Coffee Guys, Goodrich even wrote down a name (“John Thompson”) and a fake phone number if they needed to reach him, Wong said. After Goodrich didn’t return for a while, the baristas began calling the phone number, but the suspect never answered their calls.
Wong said the suspect was “totally convincing” because he presented himself as a “nice, genuine, humble” man.
“It sucks for people who are nice, and trying to be a Good Samaritan,” Wong said.
She didn’t remember exactly when Goodrich played the scam at Coffee Guys, but she estimated it was in late summer or early fall 2017.
Anyone with information about Goodrich’s alleged crimes can contact MHPD at (669) 253-4984.
