STAMFORD, CT — The Stamford Police Department is warning residents about a "gold courier" scam in which fraudsters convince victims, many of them senior citizens, to convert their assets into cash or precious metals.
Police say the criminals then arrange for couriers to meet the victims in person to pick up the cash or precious metals.
In 2025 alone, the SPD noted, Americans reported over $300 million in losses from gold courier scams across approximately 725 complaints.
Criminals can impersonate U.S. government officials, financial institutions, technology companies, or technical support representatives, police said, and victims are falsely informed that their bank accounts, investments, or other financial assets have been compromised or are at risk of being compromised.
Scammers then convince victims that the only way to protect their money is to convert their assets into cash and purchase precious metals such as gold or silver, police said.
"No federal or local government will ever ask you to convert currency and/or provide cash or gold to anyone," police said. "Anyone who does this is scamming you."
Those who believe they may have been victims of this scam should contact local law enforcement and report the scam to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
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