MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — A 19-year-old from New York, identified as Zhenyong Weng, has been arrested for allegedly targeting an 82-year-old woman in Silver Spring through a government-imposter gold bar scam, according to local police.
In a separate incident, two college students from Ohio, Mayurkumar Patel, 26, and Akshay Priyadarshi, 29, were recently arrested in Bourbon County after scamming an elderly woman out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office reported the scam on June 4.
The victim informed officials that she was contacted via email and phone by individuals posing as IRS agents and representatives from her bank, claiming her account had been compromised. Under the pretense of home remodeling plans, the woman withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars from her bank. The scammers convinced her to deposit $262,435.36 at a bitcoin location and wire an additional $247,756.21 to purchase gold bars, which were to be sent to her home in Bourbon County for the scammers to collect.
Due to the nature of the scam, the sheriff’s office reached out to the FBI. Authorities monitored multiple phone conversations with the scammers, who had arranged to pick up the gold bars once they were delivered. The sheriff’s office and the FBI subsequently intercepted Patel and Priyadarshi as they attempted to retrieve the packages.
Both suspects, who are on student visas in the U.S. and originally from India, admitted to committing similar scams previously, including stealing $35,000 from another woman in Ohio. They are now facing charges of conspiracy to commit theft by deception over $10,000 and are being held at the Bourbon County Detention Center on a $50,000 bond.
The FBI indicated that this type of scam has been reported nationwide, including in other parts of Kentucky and Los Angeles. The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office urged the public to be vigilant and report suspicious activities. They stated, “The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office will not call you saying you have a warrant for your arrest along with the IRS or the FBI. If you have to send money to receive a prize or cash, it’s a scam.”
Furthermore, the Kentucky Court of Justice recently warned about increasingly sophisticated scams involving fake arrest warrants, including forged signatures and caller ID spoofing that appears to be from legitimate government agencies. They emphasized that valid arrest warrants would never be served via phone, text, or email.
Residents are encouraged to reach out to law enforcement or their bank if they encounter any suspicious activities.