On December 26, 2025, the Friendswood Police Department received a call from an elderly victim who was scammed out of over $500,000. The victim received an e-mail in September regarding fraudulent charges to their bank account. The victim used the contact information provided in the email to inquire about the fraudulent charges. At that point, the victim was told to communicate with the scammers through WhatsApp. The victim began communicating with the scammers regularly and was told that there were several bank accounts created using their personal identifying information. The scammers also advised the victim to remove all the money from their bank accounts, convert it to gold, and place it at a pickup point. The victim took the coins to the designated point where they were retrieved. The victim attempted to follow up through WhatsApp after the gold was retrieved but was receiving no response, this is when the victim realized they had been scammed.
On September 22, 2025, the Friendswood Police Department received a report from another elderly victim who received a pop-up notification on their computer advising them of a virus on their computer. The victim called the number indicated on the pop-up. The victim was told their bank account was hacked and connected the victim to what was believed to be their banking institution. The scammers also advised this victim to remove all the money from their bank accounts, convert it to gold, and place it at a pickup point. The victim took the coins to the designated point where they were retrieved. After the initial delivery, the scammers contacted the victim informing them that another one of their accounts were hacked at the same banking institution. When the victim went to exchange more gold the employee at the gold store asked a series of questions and it was at this point that the victim realized they had been scammed. This victim was scammed out of over $30,000.
Due to the local pick up of the gold, the Friendswood Police Department believes there could be other elderly victims in surrounding areas. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Friendswood Police Department at 281-996-3300.
