Illinois Gold Bar Scammer Captured in Maryland

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD – Neel Patel, a 23-year-old from Carol Stream, IL, has been arrested by the Montgomery County Police Department for allegedly scamming elderly individuals.

The scam involved impersonating a government official and convincing victims to purchase gold bars for supposed safekeeping by the federal government.

The case surfaced in early March 2024, when an elderly victim reported being contacted by someone claiming to be from the Office of the Inspector General – Federal Trade Commission.

The impersonator informed the victim of a supposed identity theft linked to a drug and money laundering investigation. Following this, the victim was instructed to convert all her assets into gold bars, which were then to be collected by a courier posing as an “FBI Agent” and taken to the US Department of Treasury.