DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A 76-year-old woman who knew something wasn't right when an alert popped up on her iPad alerted authorities and helped them conduct a sting operation that resulted in two men being arrested this month in a gold bar scam.
According to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, the pop-up appeared on the woman's device on March 12 and prevented her from using it. She reported that the message directed her to call a phone number.
When she did that, she said a man told her that her identity and accounts had been compromised. According to the sheriff's office, she reported that she was forwarded to the “bank’s fraud department” where she spoke with an agent. She said she was even provided with a badge number for the agent.
According to the woman, the man went on to tell her that fraudulent checks had been written for pornography sites, and due to a "gag order," she could not speak with anyone about what happened, including her husband.
She said the man directed her to withdraw funds from her accounts to purchase gold bars that would be delivered to her safe deposit box.
The woman contacted authorities who worked closely with her for months to gather information and build a case against the suspects.
“No one gets to come to Douglas County, prey on our elderly residents, steal their life savings and get away with it," said Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly. "The lead detective, in this case, is sharp and laser-focused on taking these suspects off the streets to protect our most vulnerable residents.”
On May 23, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested two suspects in a parking lot near Interstate 25 and Castle Pines Parkway as part of a sting operation.
They've been identified as Anil Kumar Dhiman and Punit Punit. Both face charges of theft and crimes against at-risk persons.
In a separate, unrelated case, an 81-year-old woman reported a similar scam in late March. In this case, the woman purchased $429,000 in gold bars and dropped them off to a man in a black SUV in a parking lot in Littleton. She wrote down the license plate, and a detective tracked the suspect to Illinois. Police there detained him and recovered $1.1 million in gold bars belonging to the woman in Douglas County and another victim in Kansas City.
The suspect in this case is Syed Makki. Detectives have identified more victims in other parts of the country.
Tips to stay safe
- Never keep anything a secret.
- Never click on a pop-up ad on your computer or phone.
- Do not allow strangers remote access to your computer or bank accounts.
- If you must meet someone, choose a safe, public location like a local bank or a designated safe exchange zone near the sheriff’s office.
- If something feels off or raises suspicion, trust your instincts.
- Seek advice from trusted family members, friends or law enforcement before proceeding with any financial transactions.
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