Lamb scam targets restaurant

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is investigating a possible scam involving suspicious telephone orders received by the JT Restaurant in Gardnerville.

According to reports, a woman called the popular Basque restaurant on Sept. 3 and claimed to be a telephone translator for the deaf. The woman said there would be delays during the conversation while she communicated details to the deaf caller.

The suspect said she wanted to order 100 lamb chops, but there was confusion how she wanted the order delivered, so the restaurant ended the call.

The woman reportedly called a week later with the same order and the JT employee requested an e-mail address so they could communicate directly with the deaf caller. The woman hung up without giving the information.

One of the restaurant's suppliers told the JT bartender he heard of a similar scam from another customer. In this instance, a woman claiming to be a translator for the deaf, ordered 100 bottles of champagne which were delivered and paid for with a fraudulent credit card.

The fraud was discovered before the suspect left with the champagne.