Jithin Sunny Arrested in $500,000 Wyoming Gold-Bar Scam Targeting Seniors

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Nov 9

$131,000 in gold had already been handed over before Laramie police arrested Jithin Sunny in an undercover Oct. 2 pickup tied to a scam that pushed an elderly woman toward a planned $500,000 purchase.
Investigators said callers posing as Federal Trade Commission agents told the woman her money was at risk, directed her to buy gold bars, and arranged a courier handoff using the password "tulip" at a Qdoba restaurant.
A coin shop owner spotted red flags, and police, the victim and her credit union staged a fake transaction and borrowed one-ounce bars so an undercover detective could meet the courier instead.
Sunny, a Canadian citizen, told authorities he had been recruited on Instagram for a U.S. delivery job and believed he was moving antiques, while the FBI describes such cases as sophisticated, multi-layer scams targeting seniors.
A similar Wisconsin case led to the arrest of another courier on theft-conspiracy charges, underscoring how organized groups are increasingly steering retirees into converting savings into gold for pickup.