New York: The New York City Police Department has intensified its investigation into a case involving the theft of gold nuggets valued at $9 million (over 75 crore rupees) from a 67-year-old elderly man in New York City. To identify the suspect, the police have released photographs of the individual. The scam began in March 2025. The fraudsters convinced the elderly man through a fake security alert on his computer that his bank accounts had been hacked and that the money in the bank was unsafe. They advised him to convert his money into gold nuggets for safekeeping. Acting on this advice, the man purchased gold nuggets and subsequently handed them over to the fraudsters' agent on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on April 16, 2025. On November 11, 2026, the New York police released photographs of a person they wish to identify in connection to the case. No arrests have been reported so far. In addition, the police stated that over 100 similar gold bar scams occurred in the city by August 2026, resulting in losses exceeding hundreds of millions of dollars. Authorities noted that scams targeting senior citizens are on the rise in the city and urged anyone with information about the suspect to contact the police by calling 1-800-577-TIPS. Officials also warned that neither banks nor government agencies would ever request converting money into gold and cautioned the public not to fall for such fraudulent alerts.
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Original Malayalam report: Malayalam Daily News
