Two men were arrested in Washington, D.C. after allegedly posing as federal agents to scam an 85-year-old man. According to police, they attempted to convince the victim to hand over more than $200,000 in gold bars.

The Metropolitan Police Department reported that Chu Lin, from Fresh Meadows, New York, and Xiean Cheng, from Cornelius, North Carolina, were charged with second-degree financial fraud. They were apprehended when they appeared at the victim’s house intending to collect the gold.

An elderly man in D.C. targeted by fraudsters was instructed to secure his funds by purchasing costly gold bars.

The scam began on July 8. The scammers contacted the victim via email and later by phone. They pretended to be federal officials, claiming that the victim’s bank account funds were at risk unless secured by buying and handing over gold bars.

Believing the fraudulent claims, the victim tried to purchase over $200,000 in gold bars. However, the gold dealer noticed the potential scam and informed the victim before finalizing the transaction.

The dealer then alerted the Metropolitan Police Department’s Financial and Cyber Crimes Unit and the FBI. Together, they investigated the scheme targeting the elderly victim.

When Lin and Cheng arrived to collect the gold, officers from MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division arrested them. This intervention prevented the loss of the victim’s funds.