New York state's attorney general announced on Friday that scammers in New York have been using gold bars to steal money from victims, primarily seniors, and made off with more than $100 million over the past two years. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
How the scam works
According to the press release, the scheme starts with victims receiving a fake pop-up message stating that their computer or financial account has been compromised. The message includes a phone number to call, and when they do, the scammers convince the victims to provide remote access to their computers, which allows them to access their financial information or online bank accounts.
The victims are then directed to someone posing as law enforcement who tells them that their accounts have been compromised. To protect their money, the person says, they must withdraw it and purchase gold bars or coins and then turn them over to the authorities.
The scammers tell the victims not to discuss the breach with anyone and then send couriers to collect the gold.
Attorney general's statement
"Targeting older adults with seemingly legitimate claims that their life savings are in immediate danger is flat-out cruel," said state Attorney General Letitia James. "Seniors deserve to live comfortably without fear of losing their hard-earned savings to a manipulative scam. I am urging all New Yorkers to beware of these gold bar scams and report suspicious messages related to this scam to my office."
Cases in other regions
The scam is not unique to New York. Victims in Hawaii, Maine, Washington DC and Wisconsin have reported the same thing happening to them.
In one case in July, scammers targeted an 85-year-old man in DC by email and phone claiming to be US federal agents, and told him his money was at risk and to protect it by buying gold. When the victim tried to purchase $200,000 in gold from a dealer, the seller recognized the scam and alerted law enforcement.
The investigators then arrested the suspects when they arrived at the victim's home to collect the gold.
How to protect yourself
The attorney general instructed the public not to call a number provided in a pop-up, text or email and not to provide anyone they don't know remote access to their computer.
Individuals also should not provide money from a bank account at the urging of someone over the phone.
If someone claims there is an issue with a bank account, the potential victim should contact their financial institution.
Anyone concerned they may have been a victim of this scam are urged to contact law enforcement.
"A scam is effective because the scammer creates a false sense of urgency, pressuring the victim into life-altering decisions on the spot and swearing them to secrecy," the announcement stated. "The best way to combat this is to hang up and contact someone you trust and let them know your situation."