Suffolk detectives prevent $466,000 gold scam, police say

Suffolk County police detectives prevented a Hauppauge man who was the victim of an internet scam from purchasing $466,000 worth of gold bars, authorities said on Wednesday.

The 69-year-old man received a pop-up notification on his computer that directed him to call a phone number in the message, according to police. The man was told he was speaking to federal agents, who said his financial accounts were vulnerable. They directed the victim to purchase gold and send it to them to secure his financial accounts, police said.

The victim withdrew money from his retirement account to pay for the gold, police said. A fraud investigator from the bank, concerned about the size of the withdrawal and the fact that the money was being wired to a gold dealer in Centereach, contacted the Suffolk County Police Financial Crimes Unit. Detectives responded to the Centereach store and intercepted the victim as he was attempting to purchase $466,000 in gold bars.

The incident is under investigation by the Financial Crimes Unit. Detectives ask anyone who believes they may be a victim of a scam or anyone who has information about a scam to call the Financial Crimes Unit at 631-852-6821.