Scammers in New York have been using gold bars to steal money from victims, primarily older adults, and made off with more than $100m over the past two years, the state’s attorney general announced on Friday.
The scheme starts with victims receiving a fake pop-up message that states their computer or financial account has been compromised, the press release stated. The message includes a phone number to call, and when people 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.