Ohio gold scam cost 78-year-old woman $200,000, two arrested: ‘I thought I was talking to the FBI’
Months-long gold scam Ohio A 78-year-old woman was allegedly tricked into handing over nearly $200,000 worth of gold under the belief that she was cooperating with federal authorities, leading to the arrest of two men.
Police have identified the suspects as Manan Shah and Ankit Gupta, who were previously described as pennsylvaniaMainly express delivery company. The case came to light after the Westlake Police Department conducted an undercover operation and released video of the arrest.
According to investigators, the fraud began in August 2025 when the woman saw a pop-up message on her home computer claiming her system had been hacked.
The alert provides an allegedly FBI agent.
When she called the number, she fell into an elaborate scam involving allegations of cyberattacks, stolen accounts and an ongoing federal investigation. At one point, she was even told that an undercover agent had died during the case.
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The woman later told authorities she believed she was speaking to the FBI in good faith.
Victims told to buy gold for ‘safekeeping’
As the scam progressed, the caller allegedly instructed her to withdraw funds and buy gold, claiming that the gold would be kept securely by the government as part of the investigation.
“I thought I was talking to the FBI,” she said later, reflecting on the plausibility of the impersonation.
For months, people posing as federal agents reportedly came to her Westlake home to collect gold. In total, she lost nearly $200,000 in gold assets before authorities became involved.
The scam eventually came under scrutiny when a local gold store reportedly grew suspicious, prompting law enforcement to get involved. Around the same time, the woman was allegedly subjected to further pressure, including being told she needed to hand over the majority of her retirement savings.
Westlake police then took control of communications and began surveillance of the suspect.
Undercover sting leads to arrest
Detectives arranged a controlled pickup using imitation gold, forged documents and forged receipts to maintain the suspect’s illusion. Surveillance tools, including drones, are used to track couriers as they arrive to pick up packages.
Police arrested Shah and Gupta during the operation without incident.
In interrogation videos released by authorities, both men denied knowledge of the scam. They claim they were simply instructed to collect the packages and were unaware they were participating in the fraud.
