A scam using gold bars that targets elderly people and people for whom English is a second language has cost people in King County more than $4 million in just three months, according to the Sheriff’s Office and FBI.
“Fraudsters exert significant psychological pressure on their victims, urging them to stay silent and to act quickly before they have time to actually reflect or consult trusted family, friends, or advisors,” said Gerald Burkin, the special agent in charge at the FBI Seattle Field Office.
The urgency and fear tactics, Burkin and other investigators say, pressure victims to act before they’re able to process they’re being scammed…