BARNEGAT, N.J. — Two men were arrested Monday after attempting to collect nearly $550,000 worth of gold bars from the home of a 76-year-old Barnegat resident in a scam orchestrated by fraudsters operating out of India, police said.
Chen Tongyong and Jianming Jiang were taken into custody by Barnegat Police after arriving at the victim’s residence to collect the gold under false pretenses. The pair allegedly posed as couriers tied to a scheme that had already cost the victim nearly $200,000 earlier this month.
Key Points
- Two men were arrested while attempting to steal $550K in gold from a Barnegat man.
- The scam involved fraudsters posing as Apple Care agents and Federal Reserve couriers.
- The scheme was part of a larger international operation believed to originate in India.
FBI tip triggers sting operation involving multiple agencies
The operation began after the FBI informed Barnegat Police of a local resident targeted in a high-level fraud. The victim had been convinced by a scammer posing as an Apple Care representative that his bank accounts had been hacked and his only safe option was to convert assets into gold and hand them to a government courier.
The 76-year-old complied and handed over about $200,000 in gold bars to a scammer on April 16. When a second delivery worth more than half a million dollars was arranged, police moved in.
Barnegat Police Detective Bureau, Crime Reduction Unit, and Ptl. Negron set up surveillance inside the victim’s home on April 28, assisted by a New Jersey State Police translator. The suspects arrived shortly after the scheduled delivery and were arrested on scene.
Suspects charged, held in Ocean County Jail
Tongyong and Jiang were charged with second-degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft. They were processed at Barnegat Police Headquarters and are currently being held at the Ocean County Jail.
Authorities did not disclose the suspects’ place of residence or whether additional accomplices are being pursued in connection to the scam.
Barnegat Police credited the FBI and New Jersey State Police for their assistance in intercepting the scheme and apprehending the suspects.
International scam targeted elderly victim through tech support ruse
Investigators say the scam began with a pop-up message on the victim’s iPad, leading to a phony Apple Care call that falsely claimed a hacker was draining his bank accounts. The victim was pressured into converting his money to gold to be “secured” by the Federal Reserve.
Officials are urging the public to remain alert to similar frauds and to verify financial instructions with known contacts or law enforcement before taking action.
