BOSTON — Boston Police Department is cautioning the community against a sophisticated scam targeting individuals—particularly elderly citizens—by convincing them to hand over cash or purchase precious metals as a safeguard for their savings.
Following this, couriers are dispatched to physically collect the money or items.
Reports from the FBI indicate a significant increase in such fraudulent activities from May to December, with victims suffering combined losses exceeding $55 million.
Scammers impersonate tech support or government officials, claiming victims’ bank accounts are compromised and advising them to withdraw large sums of cash or invest in gold, silver, or other precious metals to “protect” their assets.
Victims are often instructed to purchase from specific dealers and have the assets shipped to them.
Subsequently, the scammers arrange for a courier service to pick up the withdrawn cash or precious metals, sometimes providing a code to falsely reassure victims about the security of the transaction.
Unfortunately, once the assets are handed over, the scammers disappear, and the victims are left without recourse.
The Boston Police Department urges the public to remain vigilant and skeptical of any unsolicited directives to purchase precious metals or withdraw cash.
Key advice includes:
– Recognizing that the US Government and credible companies will not ask individuals to buy gold or precious metals.
– Refraining from sharing home addresses or meeting with unknown individuals to transfer cash or valuables.
– Avoiding interaction with unexpected pop-ups, text links, or email attachments from unfamiliar sources.
– Ignoring phone numbers presented in unanticipated pop-ups, texts, or emails.
– Not installing software or granting computer access to unrecognized entities.
Victims of such scams or those who have knowledge of these fraudulent activities are encouraged to report these incidents to the Boston Police Department.
The department stresses that in cases of active criminal behavior or when immediate police assistance is needed, individuals should always call 9-1-1.
