An Illinois man, 31-year-old Abdul Mohammed, stands accused of orchestrating a cruel scheme targeting elderly citizens by impersonating an FBI agent, convincing them to convert their life savings into cash and gold bars under the guise of safeguarding their assets, as reported by WISH-TV. The U.S. Department of Justice has revealed that a federal grand jury has indicted the Des Plaines resident on charges connected to this scam, which preyed predominantly on older individuals.
According to WTHR, Mohammed allegedly used fear tactics, including the threat of frozen assets by the IRS, to manipulate his victims; one elderly man was duped into exchanging $80,000 from his retirement fund for gold bars handed over in a Meijer parking lot in Westfield, Indiana, the man believing he was in the grip of a dire hacker situation, and implicated in a drug crime, the scam didn't end even after the initial exchange.
The perpetrators continuously targeted their victims, escalating their demands, with reports from FOX59 indicating that the elderly man received a fraudulent document adorned with the Department of Justice seal, further coercing him to withdraw additional funds under the threat, "If . . . at any point of time you deny to follow our instructions or disclose this information to anyone all your accounts will be frozen."
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, issued a call for public assistance in locating the fugitive, stating, “We encourage Mr. Mohammed to contact the FBI immediately to arrange for his safe surrender to answer the charges against him,” and urging anyone with information to come forward by contacting the FBI at 317-595-4000 or through the Bureau's website tip line, while anonymity can be retained by calling Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS, if Mohammad is convicted, he could be facing up to 60 years in federal prison for the alleged crimes.
