A Lancaster County man and woman were recently defrauded of more than $115,000 worth of gold bars, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.
On March 29, the couple, a 71-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man, received a pop-up on their computer stating they had a malware issue and to call the number shown on the pop-up, Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said.
When they called the number, someone told them that they were defrauded of $5,000 and that the FBI was investigating them for child pornography.
Houchin said the couple continued to receive phone calls that made them worry they had done something illegal and that their banking information may have been compromised.
On April 1, the caller persuaded the couple to purchase $115,800 worth of gold bars from a local business and place them in a box so someone could come to their residence and pick up the box to take it to Washington, D.C.
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An unknown man arrived in a silver Ford Explorer. The couple handed the man the box with the gold, and he left, Houchin said.
This is the largest dollar amount of fraud the Sheriff’s Office has investigated in 2024.
Law enforcement recommends verifying any information from strangers with police, trusted family members or banking institutions.
What you missed last week in notable Omaha crimes and court cases
Last week's local crime and court updates from The World-Herald.
Three Douglas County Sheriff's Office deputies sustained minor injuries last week while arresting an Omaha man wanted for felony theft and failure to appear for a drug test.
A man and a teenage boy were injured by gunfire early Sunday in South Omaha.Â
“The Grand Jury recommends that in all deaths in correctional facilities, both county and state, that there be an independent review of those deaths," a Douglas County grand jury wrote in September.Â
A substitute teacher with Omaha Public Schools was arrested Saturday after she was found in the backseat of her SUV with a 17-year-old.Â
The former Omaha police officer is the third of four defendants to be sentenced after a wide-ranging public corruption investigation by the FBI.
A La Vista police officer is at home recovering after being stabbed while responding to a mental health crisis involving a 16-year-old girl.
An Omaha prisoner convicted in the 1967 slayings of two service station attendants has died.
A former Omaha police officer and nonprofit leader will be sentenced in federal court on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to participating in a wire fraud conspiracy.Â
An Omaha teacher has been charged in a Douglas County arrest warrant with felony theft by embezzlement from the Nebraska High School Press Association.Â
One of the two people wanted in connection with the thefts of historical plaques from Omaha's Central High School has been booked into the Douglas County Jail.
An Omaha man will stand trial on charges of manslaughter and use of a firearm to commit a felony after he allegedly shot and killed his close friend last month.Â
Some are calling for Pottawattamie County supervisor Jeff Jorgensen to resign after he was charged with driving under the influence at over twice the legal limit.
Three Omaha men accused of first-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting last week appeared in court Monday and were ordered held without bail.Â
The Lincoln man killed at a downtown bar early Sunday was shot by a security guard, the Lincoln Police Department said.