2 arrested in connection to gold bar courier scams targeting Indian River Shores residents

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INDIAN RIVER SHORES − One person was arrested and another awaits extradition on charges over what police said were their roles as “couriers” in scams who met with victims and drove away with thousands of dollars’ worth of gold bars.

In early 2024, at least three Indian River Shores residents lost a combined total of nearly $2 million to scams, but one scam, which all three reported to police, was described as a “first of its kind” for Indian River Shores detectives.

“Beginning last year this is the first we’ve heard of this,” said Sgt. Rodney Grass. “But come to find out, it’s nationwide.”

Scams on the Treasure Coast: Beware of these scams!

Grass is a detective at Indian River Shores Public Safety Department where he said he’s worked for nine years following his retirement from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.

The use of a “courier” to collect valuables, like gold bars, was unlike the mostly online-based banking transactions or gift card transfers used in more widely known scams involving calls from fake authorities or tech-support impersonators.

The “gold bar scams” or “courier scams”  are considered elder fraud by federal prosecutors because they typically involve victims in their late 70s and 80s, and an intermediary meets in-person with the victim.

Of the three residents, a 77-year-old woman lost $156,000 after purchasing gold bars online and handing them over to a courier in two separate meetings.

Accused of being a courier in one of the scams, Rakeshbai Patel, 35, was the subject of an arrest warrant drafted in November 2024.

It was served Jan. 10 following his arrest at Dallas Fort Worth Airport on Dec. 30, according to court records.

What happened to one Indian River Shores resident

The 77-year-old woman’s predicament began Feb. 5, 2024, when she opened a malicious pop-up warning of viruses on her computer and to call a number where she spoke to someone impersonating a “government official,” police said.

The man told her not only her computer, but her bank accounts had been compromised. To “secure her finances,” the fake federal agent told her to buy gold bars, or “convert cash into gold.”

A meeting was arranged for Feb. 28 in a CVS parking lot on State Road A1A, where store surveillance cameras show the woman walk to the courier vehicle and hand over the package of gold bars worth roughly $72,904.

Through the town’s license plate readers and camera footage, detectives identified the vehicle as a gray 2017 Hyundai car rented the day before in the Orlando area through the Turo car sharing app.

The detective stated in his report that he “entered the date, vehicle style … color … and time span … receiving various hits, but only (one) was identified as not being frequent to the area.”

Searches of credit card records were used to accuse Patel as the person who rented the vehicle the day before while additional transactions showed purchases made in Fort Pierce and Okeechobee days prior, according to his arrest warrant.

He is believed to have entered the country according to Customs and Border Patrol processing records at Miami International Airport earlier that month. He is also believed to have left the United States March 8.

Prior to the meeting with the courier, who police said appeared to be Patel, the woman had been targeted in the same scam in what Grass said was believed to be an unrelated gold bar scam where she turned over $83,000 on Feb. 15.

The person suspected of acting as the courier in that instance, Syed Makki, 36, was arrested in Colorado and has been held in a detention facility as a “fugitive from justice” since September, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado

Makki is awaiting extradition to Indian River County and would be the second arrest in the scam investigation, Grass said.

“I don’t think he’s in cahoots with (Patel),” Grass said. “That’s why it took me so long to establish enough evidence.”

Makki was detained in Illinois and named in a May news release as the suspect in at least two other gold bar scams in Colorado and Kansas, leading to the recovery of $1.1 million in gold bars.

Patel’s residency listed in arrest records shows an Ontario address, but the arrest warrant states he possessed an India license and passport.

The Indian River Shores woman was the first among what were said in Patel’s arrest warrant to be “(four) similar events (meeting the exact same motive),” where two men, Patel and Makki, were charged while two others are considered subjects of investigation.

Grass said the men accused of being couriers have said they were intermediaries instructed to pick up a package at the order of a person described as “The King.”

“The King,” was said to be the person Grass said “actually orchestrates all this … makes the phone call and sets up (the) interview.”

According to court records, Patel was charged with larceny of $50,000 from a person over 65.

He is being held in Indian River County Jail on $1 million bail. According to court records, he not yet obtained an attorney.

Avoiding scams: ‘Don’t click on links’ if they seem suspicious

Grass said for anyone who thinks a message is suspicious or they might be involved in a possible scam, “Don’t click on links, and don’t be afraid to shut you’re computer off.”

“Shut your computer off and don’t respond to anything,” he said.

If an email or correspondence seems suspicious, he said to “seek advice from professionals” or call local police.

“That’d be the best,” he said. “That’s what we are here for.”

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Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. Follow @coreyarwood on X, email corey.arwood@tcpalm.com or call 772-978-2246.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 2 accused in ‘gold bar scam’ targeting Indian River Shores residents