The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department arrested an alleged scammer living in Texas on Friday after he reportedly impersonated a federal official and convinced a victim to send him gold to clear non-existent arrest warrants.
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According to the sheriff’s department, the investigation began a few weeks before the arrest after the daughter of an elderly victim learned about the scam and reported it to the police.
The victim had recently purchased a new printer and contacted a tech-support number she found online, law enforcement’s statement said. The person on the other end of that line successfully helped fix her printer; however, shortly thereafter, the victim received a call from a person falsely claiming to be a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioner.
Though a connection between the online help line and the scammer was not fully established in the statement, it was inferred.
The alleged scammer then told the victim that she was subject to multiple outstanding arrest warrants for drug trafficking and money laundering.
After frightening the victim with false arrest warrants, the alleged scammer convinced her that she could be rid of the arrest warrants against her if she purchased gold to be delivered to him.
She purchased $261,000 in gold from a legitimate online vendor and informed the alleged scammer, who arranged to send a “courier” to pick up the gold from the victim’s home.
The victim’s family found out about the situation when the elderly woman was in the process of purchasing another $267,000 in gold. They were able to cancel the sale and inform the sheriff’s department.
In order to catch the alleged scammer, the Lincoln Sheriff’s Department collaborated with the FBI and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) to create a false transaction to make it appear to the scammer as if the second shipment of gold had been purchased.
Law enforcement sent false documents to the alleged scammer and began two days of surveillance.
Gautam Harkhani, 35, of Erwin, Texas, arrived in Round Pond on Friday to pick up what he believed to be the proceeds of his alleged fraud scheme but was instead greeted by sheriff’s deputies and taken into custody.
Harkhani was transported to the Two Bridges Regional Jail, where he faces charges of theft by deception and criminal conspiracy. He was issued a $50,000 bail.
The investigation remains ongoing, and law enforcement did not specify whether they believe additional suspects are involved or whether the first shipment of gold was recovered.
The Sheriff’s Department reminded residents that no law enforcement agency or government officials will ever call demanding immediate payment, and urged locals to report suspicious calls.
