BARNEGAT – Two men have been arrested in connection to an international scam involving fraudulent purchase and theft of pure gold bars, police said.
An investigation began after the FBI alerted Barnegat Police that a 76-year-old Barnegat resident had been victimized. The resident had purchased nearly $200,000 in gold bars from a legitimate dealer in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to police, the victim had been contacted by a scammer posing as an Apple Care representative following a pop-up message on his iPad.
“The scammer falsely claimed that the victim’s bank accounts had been compromised by a hacker and convinced him that the only way to protect his assets was to convert them into gold and surrender them to a ‘courier’ who would deposit the bars into the Federal Reserve for safekeeping,” Barnegat Police said.
On April 16, the victim complied and turned over about $200,000 in gold bars to a man posing as a courier.
The suspect remained in contact with the victim, convincing him to purchase an additional $550,000 in gold bars and scheduled delivery on April 28.
Officers set up surveillance and positioned personnel inside the victim’s home. After the delivery, two individuals arrived and attempted to take the package of gold bars. However, they were both placed under arrest.
The suspects, identified as Chen Tongyong and Jianming Jiang, were charged with Second-Degree Theft by Deception and Conspiracy to Commit Theft. Both were processed at Barnegat Police Headquarters and are currently being held at the Ocean County Jail as the investigation continues.
The Barnegat Police Department urges residents to remain vigilant when contacted about financial matters. If something feels suspicious, do not hesitate to reach out to law enforcement.
