EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. — An Excelsior Springs woman lost $97,240 in what investigators describe as a calculated gold bar scam that began with a fake customer service contact and escalated into an alleged impersonation of federal agents, according to court records filed in Clay County.
Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson announced this week that Sai Praveen Kommana, 29, of Frisco, Texas, has been charged in connection with the case. The court complaint charges Kommana with financial exploitation of an elderly person, a Class A felony.
According to the probable cause statement, the case began Sept. 10, 2025, when the victim attempted to contact what she thought was Amazon customer service and was transferred to someone claiming to be with the Central Intelligence Agency. That person allegedly sent a photo of a fake badge and identification card, told the woman her Social Security account had been breached, and instructed her that the only way to protect her money was to convert it into gold bars and turn them over for safekeeping.
Investigators say the woman wired $97,240 from her Chase account to a Kansas City jewelry store, picked up the gold bars, and brought them home. The caller then allegedly told her someone would come to her residence to retrieve them. On Sept. 11, 2025, a white SUV-type vehicle stopped outside her home, and she handed the gold to the driver, who then left the area…