NEW YORK STATE POLICE ISSUE PUBLIC ALERT ON GOLD & CRYPTO INVESTMENT SCAMS
The New York State Police (Troop E) are advising residents—especially older adults and their families—about a growing financial scheme involving fraudulent cryptocurrency investments and physical gold bars or coins.
Scammers are wiping out life savings using sophisticated social engineering tactics. Here is what you need to know to protect yourself and your loved ones 👇
📲 How the Scam Works
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The Contact: It starts with an unsolicited text message, social media request, or online friendship.
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Building Trust: The fraudster spends days or weeks gaining your trust before introducing a “can’t-miss,” highly profitable investment.
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Fake Dashboards: Victims are directed to bogus websites/apps showing inflated, fake account returns.
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The Gold Twist: Scammers instruct victims to buy actual gold bars or coins from local dealers instead of wiring money.
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The Hand-Off: Victims are told to hand the physical gold to a courier or ship it to a provided address under the guise of converting it into crypto. Once surrendered, the gold is almost impossible to trace or recover.
⚠️ RED FLAGS: What Legitimate Organizations Will NEVER Do
No real investment firm, bank, government agency, or police department will EVER ask you to:
❌ Buy gold bars or coins as an investment
❌ Hand cash or physical precious metals to a door-to-door courier
❌ Transfer cryptocurrency to “protect” or “secure” your assets
❌ Keep transactions secret from family members or bank staff
❌ Lie to bank tellers about why you are withdrawing large sums
🛡️ What To Do If You’re Targeted
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Stop All Contact: Cut off communication with the suspect immediately.
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Freeze Funds: Do NOT send any additional cash, gold, or cryptocurrency.
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Alert Your Bank: Contact your financial institution right away.
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Report It: File a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.
If you suspect you or a family member has fallen victim to this scheme, contact the New York State Police or your local law enforcement agency immediately.
🗣️ Help us protect our community—please SHARE this post with parents, grandparents, and friends!
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