UMVA has learned that a vigilant Michigan coin shop owner thwarted a ruthless overseas scam that threatened to drain a 79‑year‑old widow of her entire life savings.
In early May, strangers claiming the widow’s Social Security number was tangled in terrorism, drug trafficking, and money laundering demanded she liquidate nearly $700,000 into gold coins so “law enforcement could track the criminals.”
Panicked, the widow drove 40 miles to Grand Rapids Coins, wired the colossal sum for 145 one‑ounce American Eagle gold coins, and handed the money to a courier.
Ben Soldaat, the shop’s owner, instantly recognized the classic red flags—urgent pressure, bewildering explanations, and a thin veneer of interest in the coins—and alerted the Kent County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives set a sting: an undercover deputy, disguised as an elderly woman, met the courier at a nearby doughnut shop and handed him a package filled with chocolate‑coated “gold” coins.
The courier, 20‑year‑old Yug B. Chauhan of Elmhurst, Illinois, took the bait and was arrested on the spot, facing two felony counts that each carry up to 20 years behind bars.
Chauhan remains locked in the Kent County Jail on a $100,000 bond, while a federal immigration detainer seeks his transfer for possible deportation.
During interrogation, Chauhan disclosed that a shadowy figure known only as “Bhawsh,” communicating via WhatsApp and Hindi phone calls, directed the scheme, and that he had never met the mastermind in person.
Thanks to Soldaat’s quick thinking and the detectives’ precision, the widow recovered every penny of her money, though she admitted the experience left her shaken and determined to warn others.
Authorities report a disturbing surge in scams targeting seniors, often masquerading as law‑enforcement or government officials and demanding gold purchases in exchange for “protection” or “investigation.”
Recent incidents across the Midwest and beyond echo this pattern, with fraudsters coercing elderly victims into converting hundreds of thousands of dollars into counterfeit or overpriced gold.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that law‑enforcement agencies are now warning communities to remain skeptical of any urgent financial demand tied to Social Security or national security claims.
