A fake security alert, $9 million in gold and a handover on a New York street corner: police want to find this man
New York police have released surveillance images of a man they say walked away with gold bars handed over by a 67-year-old Upper West Side resident, the end of a scam that began with a fake computer security alert and cost the victim $9 million. The handover happened in April 2025, and no one has been arrested. It is one of the clearest cases yet of a scam that police and fraud agencies want everyone to recognise.
Three things to know
- On March 26, 2025, a man posing as a security company representative told the victim through a computer alert that his finances had been compromised, and talked him into turning his money into gold bars.
- On April 16, 2025, the victim met a man near West 81st Street and Broadway in Manhattan and handed over gold bars; the man fled on foot. Police released his images on Wednesday.
- The NYPD warned in August that a group targeting older people with this gold-bar scheme had taken about $100 million. No genuine bank, government agency or security firm will ever ask you to buy gold or hand anything to a courier.
It started with an alert on a computer screen. It ended on a Manhattan street corner, with a 67-year-old man handing gold bars to a stranger who then ran.
New York police say the man, who lives on the Upper West Side, received the alert on March 26, 2025. Someone claiming to work for a security company told him his financial assets had been compromised and that his money would be safer as gold. Over several transactions, police say, he was persuaded to put $9 million into gold bars.
On April 16, 2025, he met a man near West 81st Street and Broadway and handed over the gold. The man ran off. Police have not said how many bars changed hands.
On Wednesday, more than a year and a half later, the NYPD released surveillance images of the man and asked the public to help identify him. No arrests have been made. Police have not explained why the images were released now.
How does the gold-bar scam work?
The pattern is now well known to police. A pop-up, call or email claims your computer, bank account or identity has been hacked. A friendly “security” or “fraud” officer then offers to help, often asking for remote access to your computer so they can “see” the problem.
The victim is told their money is unsafe in the bank and must be moved into something the scammers can control: cash, cryptocurrency or, increasingly, gold. A “courier” or “agent” then collects it in person. Because the victim hands it over willingly, there is no bank transfer to stop and little to trace.
The NYPD’s Financial Crimes Task Force warned in August that one group using the method had taken around $100 million from older New Yorkers, with victims aged from their 60s to their 90s. The FBI has issued similar warnings about scammers sending couriers to collect cash and precious metals from victims across the United States.
Could it happen here?
The same scripts reach Australia every day. Remote-access scams, where callers pose as tech support, banks or government agencies, cost Australians millions each year. The gold twist simply swaps a bank transfer for something heavier that is harder to recover.
The rules that would have saved this man’s $9 million are short. No real bank, government department or security company will tell you to move your money to keep it safe, buy gold, or hand anything to a courier. If a pop-up or caller says you have been hacked, hang up or close it, and call your bank on the number on the back of your card.
What should you do if you have been targeted?
In Australia, report scams to Scamwatch, call your bank immediately if money has moved, and contact IDCARE on 1800 595 160 for free help if your identity or accounts may be compromised. In an emergency, or if you are being pressured in person, call 000.
Anyone in the United States with information about the New York suspect can call NYPD Crime Stoppers on 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
What happens next
- NYPD Crime Stoppers is asking anyone who recognises the man in the images to come forward.
- Police have not said whether the case is linked to the group behind the $100 million in losses they warned about in August.
Sources
- VNN
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