PERRY, Ga. — Two seniors in Perry agreed to buy thousands of dollars worth of gold before they had a hunch about it being a scam. It's something many people face every day.
"Computer scams are very, very common," Perry's Chief of Police Alan Everidge said.
It all started with a pop-up, the Perry Chief of Police said.
That led to an unsuspecting couple in their 70s being victimized by a scam that would try to con them out of $185,916.35.
"They were fortunate enough to work with Detective Wilcox before this got any further and they lost their money," Chief Everidge said. "But, most of the time, that is not the case."
Perry Police say the couple contacted them when they had a feeling they were being scammed.
On Oct. 11, the alleged Microsoft pop-up stated they'd been hacked, according to the police report. It said they needed to call the number mentioned to fix their software.
"Once they had called the number, they led them to believe not only their computer had been hacked, and potentially their bank accounts had been hacked, and they needed to withdraw their money, and transfer it to another location to purchase gold," Everidge said.
According to the incident report, they thought they were being redirected to legitimate organizations, including Microsoft, Bank of America and the Federal Trade Commission.
They say the FTC told them they've "stopped several fraudulent transactions" and they needed to buy gold to be reimbursed.
"And a courier would pick it up and transport it to Washington, where the federal government would send them money for a new account," Everidge said.
On Oct. 16, the couple walked into the police department to file a report when they had concerns, the Chief said.
Upon learning about the potential scam, Perry Police teamed up with the FBI and the Secret Service, Chief Everidge said.
The "courier" who arrived at the couple's home in Perry was Gurdav Singh, a resident of Stockton, CA.
Upon his arrival, Singh provided the "secret password" to the couple in an effort to reassure them he wasn't stealing from them, the chief said.
That's when police arrested Singh and charged him with a criminal attempt to commit theft by deception and the exploitation of elderly persons.
He was booked into the Houston County Detention Center shortly after his arrest on Thursday, Oct. 19.
Law enforcement believes Singh has connections to metro-Atlanta, particularly Cobb County, because the rental car he showed up in had paperwork tying him back there.
The Better Business Bureau said seniors are more likely to get targeted than anyone else because they trust others easily.
"Whether that be anything you're shopping for online or somebody selling you something," Hunter Jones said. "Make sure it's also within reason, make sure the product or service you're paying for, make sure the amount that you're being asked for also makes sense. Be aware of the typical cost of that product."
Jones is the Vice President of the Better Business Bureau serving the Fall Line Corridor, Inc.
"The number 1 rule you do is, you take a step back and you do your own research and your own homework," he said. "Never feel rushed, never feel pressured like you have to act now, know that you can take a step back, and never trust the information that's given to you at face value."
Some other tips the BBB shared are:
- Make sure the company you're interacting with is legitimate
- Make sure the information they're providing you is legitimate
- Make sure the person you're communicating with is a real human being who works for the company they claim to serve
- Don't give out personal or banking information until you've confirmed the other person's intention yourself
- Don't feel rushed; there is no pressure to act fast and you have the power to say no.
- Be aware of uncommon payment methods, such as gold bars
- Ensure the websites you access have an "https" before the link (the "s" stands for "secure" website, Jones said.)
Chief Everidge said they were able to learn other victims in Georgia are dealing with the same or similar incidents when they joined forces with federal agencies.
They believe Singh did not act alone and are continuing to investigate.