A 70-year-old New York woman wired $919,200 after a caller convinced her that she was implicated in a crime in India and needed to move money to resolve the matter, according to Nassau County police.
The Hicksville woman made the withdrawals and wire transfers between June 29 and July 27. Court records cited by ABC7 New York say a woman identified by the surname Tierigeli claimed to be with the Delhi Police Department in India.
The demands did not end with the nearly $1 million already transferred. On September 1, the victim was told to buy another $300,000 in gold bars and coins so a supposed CIA agent could collect and examine them as part of the purported investigation.
This time, the woman realized she was being scammed and contacted police. Detectives turned the planned gold pickup into a sting that ended with the September 2 arrest of a 32-year-old Woodside, Queens, woman listed by Nassau County police as Fnu Tierigeli.
The Victim Was Told She Was Connected to a Crime in India
The scheme began with a frightening claim that the Hicksville woman had become involved in criminal activity in India. Police say she was told that she needed to withdraw and send money to rectify the situation.
Believing the warning, she repeatedly accessed her own funds over roughly a month. Between June 29 and July 27, the withdrawals and wire transfers totaled $919,200, according to investigators.
Authorities have not publicly detailed how many individual transfers were made, where each payment went or whether any of the money already sent has been recovered.
The Scammers Came Back for $300,000 in Gold
More than a month after the wire transfers ended, the victim was contacted again on September 1 and instructed to purchase another $300,000 in gold bars and coins.
News 12 reported from court documents that the woman was told a CIA agent would collect the gold and examine it as part of the supposed investigation. That demand prompted her to recognize that she was being scammed and contact Nassau County police.
The gold request closely matches a government-impersonation tactic federal consumer authorities have warned about. Victims are frightened with claims that their identity or money is connected to criminal activity and are then directed to move savings, withdraw cash or buy gold for supposed protection or inspection.
Police Used Fake Gold and a Dollar-Bill Serial Number
Detectives allowed the planned September 2 handoff to proceed as a sting operation in the parking lot of a McDonald’s at 280 North Broadway in Hicksville.
According to court documents cited by News 12, investigators prepared a bag containing fake gold bars that would have been worth $284,650 if genuine. An undercover detective took the victim’s place for the exchange.
The collector was supposed to verify the handoff using a prearranged code, the serial number printed on a dollar bill. Authorities allege Tierigeli supplied the matching code and accepted the bag before officers arrested her at about 5 p.m.
Tierigeli Is Charged Over the Attempted Gold Pickup
Nassau County police charged Tierigeli with attempted grand larceny in the second degree. She was scheduled for arraignment September 3 at First District Court in Hempstead.
Publicly available reports identify her as Fnu Tierigeli, 32, of Woodside, Queens, although ABC7 says court records identify the woman only by the surname Tierigeli and News 12 reports that her first name is unknown.
The publicly announced charge concerns the attempted gold transaction. Authorities have not announced charges against Tierigeli tied to the earlier $919,200 in wire transfers.
Real Government Agents Will Not Tell You to Buy Gold or Move Your Savings
The Federal Trade Commission warns that legitimate government agents will not tell people to buy gold bars and give them to a courier, transfer money to protect it from an investigation or withdraw cash for someone to collect.
If an unexpected caller claims that you are implicated in a crime, hang up and independently locate the real agency’s contact information rather than calling a number supplied by the person who contacted you. Do not wire money, purchase gold or hand valuables to a courier while trying to resolve the caller’s claims.
If money has already been wired, the FTC recommends contacting the bank or wire-transfer provider immediately, reporting that the transfer resulted from fraud and asking whether it can be reversed. Victims should also preserve transaction records and communications and report the incident to law enforcement.
Nassau County police are asking anyone who believes they may have been targeted by a similar scheme to contact the department’s Fraud and Forgery Section at 516-573-2815. The FTC also accepts fraud reports through ReportFraud.ftc.gov.