Man accused of using ‘gold bar scam’ to steal $555,892 from Pennsylvania resident
Oklahoma News 4 by: Brady Doran, Jeremy Tanner Posted: Jul 16, 2025 / 09:22 PM CDT Updated: Jul 16, 2025 / 09:22 PM CDT
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A New York man is accused of stealing gold bars worth over half a million dollars from a resident in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, using a scam that authorities say is becoming increasingly common nationwide.
The victim, described as an elderly woman by police in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, contacted authorities in April to report that someone stole $555,892 worth of gold bars.
Investigators said that the suspect, 44-year-old Zhong Ren, of Brooklyn, New York, first gained access to the woman’s computer in March.
Ren allegedly convinced her that someone was trying to access her life savings, and the only way to keep the money safe was to convert it into gold bars and turn them over to federal employees… Read More
