The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a scam that netted more than $5 million from a local resident through transactions in Unity.
Meanwhile, two men are facing an indictment in Ohio federal court for a similar multi-state scheme that tricked senior citizens, including a West Newton man who reported losing $336,000, into handing over cash and gold bars.
Investigators in both cases reported the scammers posed as Federal Trade Commission officials.
State police said in a news release they were notified by the Secret Service that a local resident responded last week to a text message about a PayPal transaction and then was contacted again by people claiming to be representing the FTC. Police said the resident later handed over cash and gold bars totaling more than $5 million. The transactions happened in Unity, troopers said.
Anyone who has experienced similar circumstances, regardless of whether a transaction took place, is asked to contact state police at 724-832-3288 and ask for Trooper Jason Kinger.
The Secret Service did not respond to a media request.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation handled the Ohio case that charged Tejas Bhupendrabhai Patel, 31, a resident of Toledo, and Navya Umeshkumar Bhatt, 22, a citizen of India, with money laundering conspiracy, concealment money laundering and promotion of money laundering. Both have been detained since at least late January.
Authorities reported in an affidavit that the scammers posed as bank officials or agents from the FBI, Social Security Administration and the FTC to scam people in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Indiana. Photos included in the complaint show the suspects with cash and gold bars.
A package containing $44,000 with the West Newton man’s name on it appeared in a video investigators found on a cellphone belonging to one of the suspects, according to the affidavit. The man told police he was contacted in February 2024 by someone who claimed his accounts were being hacked.
The man was instructed to send several transactions via bitcoin ATMs and withdraw cash from his bank accounts. That cash was handed to people who came to his house on three occasions, according to the affidavit.
The FTC will never threaten someone, ask that gold bars be purchased or request a money transfer, according to its website about imposter scams. Scammers posing as the FTC may claim to be an agent, show a fake badge number or request someone move money to “protect it.”
The number of older adults who reported losing $10,000 or more through business or government imposter scams have increased fourfold in four years to 8,269 in 2024, according to the commission.
The FTC advises that consumers should call a legitimate number for their bank, broker or investment advisor if they’re concerned about their accounts. Anyone who gets a scam call or message should report it to their bank or investment fund and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
