NYC police alert seniors to gold‑bar fraud that has cost over $100 million

The New York Police Department’s Financial Crimes Task Force is warning older New Yorkers about a gold‑bar scam. Scammers use fake Microsoft pop‑up messages claiming a virus, then call victims, gain remote access to their computers and bank accounts, and impersonate the U.S. Treasury or police to demand payment in gold bars.

Couriers deliver the bars while victims stay on the line. Losses have reached $9 million in a single incident and $5.8 million in another, with total losses estimated at more than $100 million and hundreds of victims. The investigation, ongoing since May 2024, involves the Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service and police in other states; authorities have recovered some bars and plan to use them for restitution.