74-year-old Bethesda man in Montgomery County, MD lost $1.1m in a gold bar scam where fraudsters posed as government officials.

74-year-old Bethesda man in Montgomery County, MD lost $1.1m in a gold bar scam where fraudsters posed as government officials, convincing victims to liquidate their bank accounts into gold bars for safekeeping. Gold bar scams have affected at least three victims in the county, resulting in nearly $3m in total losses. Vipul Thakkar, 52, was arrested after a sting operation involving the victim who had become suspicious.