Laramie Woman Targeted in Sophisticated Gold Bar Scam by Fake Federal Agents
An elderly woman in Laramie, Wyoming, was defrauded of approximately $131,000 in gold by scammers posing as Federal Trade Commission agents. These individuals convinced her that her savings were at risk and pressured her to purchase an additional $460,000 in gold. The Laramie Police Department initiated an investigation on September 22 after a local coin shop owner grew suspicious. Authorities, in collaboration with the victim and the coin shop owner, set up a sting operation. They arranged for a staged purchase of gold bars and a temporary $500,000 transaction with her credit union to make the scam appear legitimate. On October 2, an undercover detective, posing as the victim, met a courier at a local restaurant to hand off the gold using a pre-arranged password, 'tulip.' This led to the arrest of Jithin Sunny, a Canadian citizen, who was subsequently charged with felony theft. Sunny claimed he was unaware of the scam, believing he was delivering antiques for a job he found on Instagram.
