A Martin County senior citizen nearly lost $600,000 to a gold bar scam, but deputies helped avert the loss. The Martin County Sheriff's Office said the victim was contacted by a fraudster claiming to be from his financial institution and was told that his bank account had been compromised. The scammer then convinced the senior citizen that he needed to protect his money by backing it up with gold.
According to the sheriff's office, the victim was instructed to send $600,000 to a legitimate gold vendor. The scammer told the victim that the gold would then be picked up by a third-party driver and delivered to the bank. After going through with the transaction, the victim quickly realized something was wrong and immediately went to his bank. The bank recognized the situation as potential fraud and advised him to contact the sheriff's office.
The responding deputy spoke directly with the gold vendor and helped the victim stop the transaction from going through. The sheriff's office said the victim confirmed he received a full refund of his $600,000.