The New York City Police Department's Financial Crimes Task Force has issued a warning to seniors about a sophisticated scam involving gold bars that has already cost victims over $100 million. The scheme targets elderly individuals across the United States.
Scammers initiate contact through deceptive computer pop-ups, often claiming to be from Microsoft and stating a computer is infected with a virus. Victims are instructed to call a provided number to resolve the issue. Once on the phone, the perpetrators gain remote access to the victim's computer and sensitive financial information. This often leads to further fraudulent calls where scammers impersonate U.S. Treasury Department officials or law enforcement officers.
These fake officials then pressure victims into sending gold bars as payment to supposedly protect their money or resolve fabricated legal issues. Detective Emilio Gomez of the NYPD's Financial Crimes Task Force stated that in this process, "the victims get coerced to provide remote access to the computers, allowing these perpetrators to gain control." He added that this grants scammers access to webcams, printers, audio devices, and the computer itself.
The NYPD has been investigating the scam since May 2024, collaborating with Homeland Security, the IRS, and police departments from various states. The investigation indicates a nationwide problem, not limited to New York City.
In many instances, a courier arrives at the victim's home to collect the gold bars while the victim is on a call with the scammer, who typically claims to be based in the U.S. but is often located in Asia. To further legitimize the transaction, the callers sometimes provide a code name or number.
"We want as many victims to come forward as possible so we could try and eliminate this this problem across the United States, not only including New York City," said Sgt. Rashawn Vaughn with the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force. "The amount of money they're getting from some of these victims is very, very staggering, $9 million on one shot, $5.8 million in another case."
Authorities believe hundreds of victims have been defrauded, with losses surpassing $100 million. Police have recovered some gold bars during search warrant operations and aim to use these assets to provide partial restitution to victims in New York. Experts advise hanging up and logging off immediately if encountering such suspicious calls or computer messages.