Collin County Sheriff's Cyber Unit Targets Global Gold Fraud Ring, Makes Arrests

The Collin County Sheriff’s Office executed coordinated search and arrest warrants on Jan. 29, 2026, as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into a large-scale fraud and money laundering scheme that the office says targeted elderly victims in North Texas, Sheriff Jim Skinner announced. Warrants tied to the probe were executed at Malani Jewelers in Richardson, at a business location in Decatur, Georgia, and at Orlando Gold Refinery in Altamonte Springs, Florida, with coordination from the Lithonia Police Department and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s Jan. 29 press release said the suspects “impersonated federal agents and regulatory officials, using false credentials and threats of prosecution to coerce victims into surrendering high-value assets, including gold, cash, and cryptocurrency.” The release added that victims were “directed to act in secrecy and comply with specific instructions, including liquidating financial accounts, purchasing precious metals, and transferring cryptocurrency,” and that couriers were dispatched to collect assets from victims.

Local investigators allege the scheme — commonly called the gold bar scam — funneled precious metals through affiliated businesses. KTEN and KDHNews reporting cited investigators’ allegations that the gold was later processed and melted through those businesses; KDHNews specifically listed the Richardson jeweler, a Decatur location and the Orlando Gold Refinery as sites where search warrants were being executed in connection with the financial and gold-processing aspects of the investigation.

Sheriff Skinner emphasized the role of Collin County’s cyber crimes unit, which this month opened its most highly protected room in McKinney for its first public view. The high-security lab houses advanced servers used for decrypting hard drives and phones and for tracking IP addresses tied to the fraud network. Skinner said, “So I have investigators here that were professionals in the computing world, before they became law enforcement officers. And, they're very good at what they do.” He also said acquiring cyber tools has been a cornerstone of his administration since taking office in 2017 and added, “I've been the sheriff here for 10 years, and everybody that works with me understands, among the top rules that we have is we always look to protect our children and our senior citizens.”

Officials described the probe as sprawling and multistate, with investigators pursuing international leads and working with multiple local, state, and federal partners. Collin County briefings and reporting characterize the alleged campaign as having defrauded “hundreds of seniors” through deceptive tactics and courier collections.

The sheriff’s office said the investigation remains active and that additional details will be released as they become available. Individuals who believe they may be connected to the investigation are asked to contact CCSOScam@collincountytx.gov. Skinner framed the operation as ongoing and exhaustive: “It's like a snowball as it rolls. Just gets bigger and bigger. And I'll tell you, we're committed to turn over every stone.”