Gold Scam: $420K Vanishes in Driveway Heist

Multiple scams over a three-day period resulted in over $670,000 in losses for Washington state residents. Four individuals in Clallam County, a region west of Seattle, were targeted with sophisticated tactics. Scammers impersonated employees from well-known entities like Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commission.

One scammer, posing as a Microsoft technical support employee, convinced a victim to purchase $3,500 in Apple gift cards. Another victim lost $50,000 after clicking a malicious email, which gave scammers access to their financial accounts. A 64-year-old lost $200,000 after downloading a fake app from someone posing as a Coinbase employee.

The most significant loss involved an 84-year-old resident who was tricked into believing they were under investigation by the FTC for child pornography and money laundering. Instructed not to contact law enforcement and that their bank accounts were at risk, the victim purchased approximately $420,000 in gold and handed it over to a scammer who appeared at their driveway. The victim only realized they were defrauded after contacting their bank.