A Baldwin man was charged with a scam that cost an elderly North New Hyde Park man $390,000 after an investigation by the Nassau County Police’s Major Case Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Suffolk County Police, police said.
Yash J. Shah, 25, was charged with second-degree grand larceny for the alleged elder scam.
Nassau County police said the 73-year-old North New Hyde Park man had received a computer notification that his device had been compromised. It directed him to call a phone number to protect his assets.
When he called the number, police said the man was told he was speaking to a Federal Trade Commission employee. The individual on the phone told the elderly man then to purchase six gold bars worth about $390,000 from JM Bullion, according to police.
The North New Hyde Park man purchased the gold bars and an unknown man in an unknown vehicle picked them up from the victim’s home.
Shah was arraigned at the county’s First District Court on Tuesday for the alleged crime. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bail with non-monetary conditions.
The Nassau County police cautioned residents against scams, specifically against vulnerable individuals like the elderly. They asked the community to be “on alert” for crimes of this nature, according to a press release.