LINCOLN, NE (KOLN) — A second man has been arrested in connection with a nearly $100,000 gold scam that targeted a Lincoln resident in a sophisticated PayPal refund fraud scheme.
Ivan Dylyn, 28, was taken into custody on Tuesday and booked at the Lancaster County Jail. He has been charged with unlawful taking of over $5,000, a felony offense.
According to Lincoln Police, the scam began on June 3, when the victim received a fraudulent email stating that $1,000 had been charged to his PayPal account. The victim, who does not have a PayPal account, called the phone number listed in the email to dispute the charge.
Scammers told the victim that they had mistakenly refunded him $100,000 instead of $1,000, and requested the excess amount be returned — in gold.
The victim complied, handing over $98,308 worth of gold to Dylyn in person at his home. He also managed to take a photo of Dylyn during the exchange.
When the scammers later claimed the man owed another $100,000 due to a so-called “computer error,” a gold dealer suspected fraud and contacted authorities.
On June 9, police coordinated a sting operation, resulting in the arrest of 29-year-old Chiragkmumar Padsala, who arrived in a rental vehicle to collect more gold.
Using the photograph taken by the victim, police ran a facial recognition scan and identified Dylyn as the original scammer. He was arraigned on Wednesday, and his bond was set at 10% of $1 million. His next court hearing is scheduled for September 25.
The investigation remains ongoing, with police warning residents to stay vigilant against sophisticated financial scams.
