Man arrested after alleged scammers convinced woman to buy 13 pounds of gold

OCALA, Fla. — A man posing as a courier is facing organized fraud charges after a 74-year-old Ocala woman was almost taken for her life savings.

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Weikai Zhang, of Winter Garden, was arrested by police and federal agents Tuesday as he tried to pick up packages of gold from the victim.

Investigators said they were alerted to the ongoing scam that originated with a call center in Asia. They said scammers were able to get access to the woman’s financial information after convincing her her computer had a virus.

Officers say the scammers convinced the fearful woman to “save” her money from being “taken” by emptying her bank accounts and using the money to buy gold, which a “federal courier” would keep safe for her.

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According to Zhang’s arrest affidavit, officers intercepted FedEx boxes from a gold broker containing more than 13 pounds of the precious metal, valued at $500,000.

Zhang was taken into custody when he arrived at the woman’s house, posing as the courier. Agents said they noticed his minivan driving suspiciously and his GPS was set to the woman’s address.

Zhang is facing multiple felony charges in connection to the scheme. He’s being held at the Marion County detention center on a $61,000 bond.

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