DORAL, Fla. -- Police on Tuesday arrested a man who they said duped a property owner into thinking there was buried treasure on his vacant lot and then devised a bait-and-switch scheme to pilfer $50,000 from the man.

According to Miami-Dade police, Javier Villamizar called David Berrones on Nov. 28 and, using an alias, posed as an engineer surveying the property. Villamizar told Berrones that he detected a large concentration of precious metals on the property in Florida City and asked if he could meet with him to try and locate the metals, police said.

Police said Villamizar met with Berrones on Dec. 5 and used a metal detector to scan the property, marking the area where the metals were supposed to be.

Suspecting something wasn't right, Berrones contacted police, who advised him to arrange another meeting with Villamizar while they videotaped the incident.

Two days later, Villamizar met Berrones again and, after about an hour and a half of digging, found a clay pot that police said Villamizar buried there. Inside the pot was a scroll, handwritten in Spanish and dated 1832, that stated there was gold, jewelry, silver and Spanish coins buried on the property, police said.

It also stated that a monetary offering in the amount of $100,000 should be placed on an altar and a prayer should be recited for nine days prior to excavating the buried treasure. The prayers were necessary to eliminate a curse of four generations of bad luck befalling the person who discovered the treasure.

According to police, Villamizar prepared an altar comprised of several religious objects. Police said both men were supposed to provide $50,000 each, but instead Villamizar attempted to shortchange Berrones and get away with his share of the money.

"He placed $100 bills in front of the wrapping and what was in between were all $1 bills," Miami-Dade police Detective Marcos Rodriguez said.

Villamizar, 61, was arrested after allegedly making the bait-and-switch Tuesday.

Police said Villamizar faces grand theft charges. Police said Villamizar has been arrested on similar charges in Colorado.