A 20-year-old Indian national was arrested in Florida after trying to collect nearly $495,000 in gold from an elderly woman in Gainesville as part of an elaborate scam, WCJB reports.Gurbinder Singh was taken into custody Sunday after deputies and the FBI conducted a sting operation to arrest those involved in the scheme, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.The scam began when the woman received an email claiming there was a problem with her credit card. The letter warned that her bank account and Social Security number had been “hacked” and asked her to protect her money by converting it into gold bullion.
The woman believed these allegations, so she bought more than $101,000 worth of gold from the coin and jewelry exhibition.The scammers then tried to convince her to hand over an additional $400,000 in gold. Before this deal could take place, FBI and IRS agents became aware of the situation and contacted the woman. Police and federal agents worked with the woman and devised a plan to arrest the person who had come to collect the gold.
The arrest report indicates that Gurbinder Singh traveled from California to Florida in May to help carry out the scam.Singh arrived at the Chevron gas station at 12200 SW Archer Road to complete the delivery. Instead of receiving the gold, deputies met him and arrested him at the scene. Police say Singh was involved in a much larger scheme aimed at stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the victim. He is currently being held in the Alachua County Jail without bail.
