$3M lost after Pennsylvania woman falls for porn purchase, gold bar scam

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A man was arrested after police said he was found scamming a woman out of around $3 million during a fake pornography purchase and gold bar scam.

In June, detectives began investigating a fraud scheme that spanned both Lehigh and Luzerne counties, and a victim was identified from Upper Milford Township.

A 68-year-old woman told state police that in January, she had received a computer notification that someone had used her bank account to purchase $18,000 for pornography, police say.

The victim didn’t seek help because she was embarrassed by the accused’s purchase of pornography, the release stated. This is a tactic that scammers use to get victims to comply, officials noted.

The notification included a number that the victim could call to speak with the “fraud department” at her bank. Police said when the victim called, she spoke with someone who pretended to be an agent with the “Federal Trade Commission.”

The scammer said her bank account had been compromised, advising the victim to remove the funds from her account and purchase gold bars, the release states. The scammer told the victim that she should give the gold bars to “couriers” for “safekeeping.”

From February 2025 through May 2025, the victim made large purchases of gold bars and gave them to the “couriers” as directed by the scammers.

On May 13, 25-year-old Dharmikkumar Sutariya of Scranton arrived at the victim’s home, acting as a “courier”, and was given two gold bars valued at more than $215,400, according to investigators.

Detectives stated the loss to the victim is over $3 million.

Sutariya has been charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, theft by deception, and other related offenses.