One DeWitt Township resident lost thousands in a gold scam this week.
While this isn’t the first scam the township has seen, Police Chief Matt Merony said it’s a new strategy.
“It basically starts as a pop-up on your computer screen that says, ‘Hey, your computer’s been compromised. You need to call this number,’” he said. “Then they convince them that their accounts are hacked and they need to convert their funds into gold bars.”
Merony said the gold was picked up from the victim’s residence, but the person who picked it up wasn’t necessarily the scammer.
“These things are just so hard to track,” he said. “Usually the people that are going to pick up whatever they don't know what it is, and they were just contacted again, ‘Hey, we'll give you $100 to go over here and pick this up from this person here.’”
Merony said there are many things people can do to avoid similar scams.
The first step, he said, would be to contact someone you trust. If you receive an email, phone call or advertisement requesting money and you’re not sure if it’s real, reach out to others.
“Run it by the local law enforcement,” Merony said. “Say ‘Hey, I got this email, would you take a look at it?’ We’re more than happy to do that. We do not want to see people losing money.”
Merony also reiterated the Federal Trade Commission guidance to block suspicious calls and texts and to avoid sharing personal or financial information online.