Elderly Floridians Scammed Out of $400,000 in Gold Bars
A pair of elderly Floridians were allegedly scammed out of around $400,000 in gold bars by a swindler who convinced them over the phone they faced “arrest” over fraudulent Amazon activity.
The Scam Operation
Police say that the individuals were targeted by a mysterious figure called “Rocky” who arranged for them to buy gold bars and drop them off with a courier.
Sting Operation
The driver, Tejaskumar Patel, was arrested in a sting operation after a 78-year-old victim contacted the Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Florida to report fraud on May 30. He had been scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars over the phone.
Further Investigation
Collaborating with investigators, the victim arranged a second setup with Patel on June 20th, where Patel was expecting $200,000 worth of gold. However, authorities intervened and Patel was arrested during a traffic stop.
Insightful Details
Despite claiming ignorance, Patel revealed that ‘Rocky’ had been orchestrating these fraudulent schemes and had been sending him all over the country to pick up gold from various victims. Patel also noted the strange pattern that victims were Americans while those receiving the gold were from India, but ‘Rocky’ instructed him to focus on the job.
Legal Consequences
Patel is currently in Martin County Jail facing charges of theft over $100k and scheme to defraud. He made his initial court appearance on Friday.
