Gold Bar Protection Scam
Scammers pose as government agents claiming your money is at risk. They convince victims to convert savings to gold bars, then send a "courier" to collect them for "safekeeping." FBI IC3: $219M losses, average $417K per victim.
🚩 Red Flags
- ⚠Government claims your money isn't safe in banks
- ⚠Instructed to buy gold bars
- ⚠Courier will "collect" valuables
- ⚠Told to keep it secret
- ⚠Can't verify caller through official channels
- ⚠Extended contact over days/weeks
🛡️ Protect Yourself
- →HANG UP: FBI/Fed never asks you to buy gold
- →VERIFY: Call FBI field office directly
- →KNOW: No "federal vault" for citizen gold
- →TELL family immediately
- →If courier coming: Call 911
More Details
- “Your accounts have been flagged for money laundering”
- “Chinese hackers have infiltrated your bank”
- “Convert to gold — it's the only safe asset”
- “A federal courier will collect the gold”
- “Don't tell anyone — this is a classified investigation”
- “You're cooperating with the FBI”
Common Questions
Gold is untraceable, valuable, and portable. A courier can walk away with $100K+ in a small package. There's no digital trail.
Never. No government agency asks citizens to convert money to gold for "protection." This is always a scam.
Caller claims your accounts are compromised. They instruct you to buy gold bars for "safekeeping." A fake courier arrives to collect them. You never see your money again.
These scams specifically target wealthy seniors. Scammers spend days building trust and urgency before the gold purchase.
Report This Scam
If you've encountered this scam, report it to help protect others.
Warn Someone You Know
Know someone who might fall for this? Share this warning with them.
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73% of Americans targeted(Pew, 2025)
|$470M lost to text scams in 2024(FTC)
|$16.6B total losses(FBI IC3, 2024)