Susquehanna Valley woman hands over $1.5 million in gold to scammers
A Susquehanna Valley woman lost $1.5 million in gold to a scammer.
The case started with a simple traffic stop, and since then, Pennsylvania State Police have identified at least half a dozen victims, including the woman who handed over $1.5 million.
So far, police say approximately $6.5 million has been stolen in this scam that was discovered because troopers stopped a car with tinted windows.
On September 10, troopers stopped a 2025 Honda Accord with a California license plate reading “9TTS143,”on Route 80 in Union County. Inside the vehicle, they found about $200,000 in gold bars, and two men were taken into custody.
Through their investigation, police learned the gold belonged to a 74-year-old woman.
The car was also tracked to several other communities in Pennsylvania, including Rixford, Cloudersport and Smethport, where victims have been located.
Money transfer scam
WGAL News 8’s On Your Side team calls this the money transfer scam because victims are conned into transferring their money for safekeeping by scammers posing as federal investigators.
The scammers tell victims that their identity has been connected to criminal activity and their bank accounts may have been compromised.
They are then told to buy gold bars and turn them over to a courier for safekeeping.
Police say there may be more victims in the case and encourage anyone who turned over gold or cash to someone driving the car to reach out to Trooper Eric Dreisbach at 570-560-0625.
Remember, no legitimate law enforcement officer will ever instruct you to purchase gold or give cash or gold to a courier.