La Center’s police commander told the city council on March 26 that detectives are investigating a sophisticated fraud in which a Clark County resident, in her 70s, lost more than $500,000 in a gold-coin scheme, and described other recent scams that used threats and cryptocurrency to extract money.

Commander Sample said the gold-coin case involved a caller claiming to be a federal agent who said the victim’s Social Security number was linked to fraud. The caller persuaded the victim to withdraw assets, buy gold coins and hand them to an individual who represented himself to be an undercover federal agent. “The scammer ultimately conned the victim into withdrawing most of her liquid assets, purchasing gold coins, and provided the coins to an undercover federal agent,” Sample said. Detectives are investigating.

Why it matters: Police said the scams are sophisticated and often target older adults. Sample stressed that government agents will not demand payment in gold, gift cards or cryptocurrency and urged people to independently verify any unexpected call. He offered practical steps: hang up, look up the agency’s main number independently, and contact local police if unsure. He described a separate case in which a resident lost about $15,000 after being instructed to use Bitcoin machines.

Sample also reviewed calls-for-service and traffic-enforcement activity for February, noting increases in deputy-initiated activity and a rise in traffic infractions such as driving while suspended, speeding and expired registration. “We are way up from a year ago,” Sample said of deputy-initiated activity, adding that the department will shift enforcement emphasis from school zones to other areas as needed.

The commander encouraged banks and other institutions to help spot suspicious large cash or cryptocurrency withdrawals used in scams and asked residents to be suspicious of unsolicited texts or calls that demand immediate payment.

Ending: Police reiterated that anyone who receives an unsolicited demand for payment should pause, verify the caller independently using public contact information, and call the police if they suspect fraud.