Boulder Woman, 80, Hands Off $200K In Gold To Parking Lot Stranger After ‘Fed’ Call

An 80-year-old Boulder woman says her life savings vanished in a matter of hours after scammers persuaded her to buy more than $200,000 in gold and hand it over to a stranger in a parking lot. The loss has rattled her family and triggered a local police investigation.

How the Scam Worked

Leslie Frisbie, 80, told reporters she started getting calls from people who claimed to be federal agents. They allegedly accused her of soliciting pornographic material and money laundering, then demanded a one-time “fine” to avoid arrest. The catch: the payment had to be in gold.

Frightened and convinced she was in serious legal trouble, Frisbie purchased $200,800 in gold and met a man in a parking lot to hand it over, according to KFOR. The callers reportedly used spoofed charges and fake phone numbers to make the whole thing look official enough to pass a glance.

Scams Against Older Adults Are Climbing

Fraud specialists say Frisbie’s ordeal is part of a growing wave of government-impersonation and investment-style scams that zero in on older Americans. The Federal Trade Commission’s latest report on protecting older consumers notes steep increases in large-dollar losses for people 60 and older, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center logged more than 859,000 complaints and over $16 billion in reported losses in 2024. The numbers paint a blunt picture of just how common and expensive these schemes have become.

Investigation and Family Response

Boulder Police have opened an investigation. Detective Alex Graber told local reporters that global scam operations are increasingly sophisticated and move money quickly, which makes getting any of it back an uphill battle.

In the meantime, Frisbie’s family has launched a GoFundMe to help cover immediate expenses while police work the case, relatives told KFOR.

How to Protect Seniors and Where to Report

Law enforcement and consumer advocates stress that legitimate agencies do not call people out of the blue and demand payment, especially not in gold, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers. If someone on the phone insists you must pay immediately or face arrest, the safest move is to hang up and verify the claim using a trusted phone number.

Officials urge anyone who suspects a scam to report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and to file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3. Older adults and caregivers can also turn to AARP's fraud resources for prevention tips and local events focused on scam awareness.

Victims are also advised to contact their bank or financial institution immediately and notify local police so accounts can be frozen and investigators alerted as quickly as possible.

Frisbie’s case is a blunt reminder that scammers rely on fear, pressure, and polished scripts to push people into life-altering decisions. Neighbors and senior advocates say fast reporting and broad community awareness remain the strongest tools for stopping the next con before it reaches someone else’s savings.