A Scranton man has been charged in a gold bar fraud scheme that stole $3 million from a Lehigh County woman.

Dharmikkumar Sutariya, 25, is charged with two counts of theft by unlawful taking–movable property, receiving stolen property, theft by deception-false imprisonment and criminal use of a communication facility. Police said he is being held in custody in Luzerne County.

Officials said that on June 10, Trooper Francis J. Vanore III of the Troop M barracks was contacted by Detective John Anthony of the Kingston Borough Police about a fraud investigation targeting an Upper Milford Township woman.

Vanore contacted the woman, whose name is not being released, and she told him in January she received a computer notification that someone had used her bank account to purchase $18,000 of pornography. The victim told police she did not ask for help because she was embarrassed by the allegation that she had purchased pornography. In a press release issued by District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan, he said, “This is a tactic that scammers use to get victims to comply.”

Officials said the woman received a phone number for the “fraud department” at her bank. When the victim called the phone number, she spoke with someone who pretended to be an agent with the “Federal Trade Commission,” who told the woman her bank account had been compromised.

The “agent” told her to remove the funds from her compromised account and directed her to purchase gold bars and give them to “couriers” who she was told would retain the gold bars for safe keeping. The “couriers” were part of the scam, police said.

They said that from February through May, the woman made large purchases of gold bars and provided them to the “couriers” as directed by the scammers. The investigation revealed that on May 13, Sutariya arrived at the victim’s home, acting as a “courier,” and was given two gold bars valued at more than $215,400.

The victim lost “in excess of $3 million,” Holihan said.

The investigation is another reminder, especially for older residents, to not give out personal bank information on the phone or computer,” Holihan said. “Banks and other financial institutions won’t ask for passwords or account information over the phone or by email.

“Anything that is of value and untraceable — gold, jewels, gift cards and cryptocurrency — is very often linked to fraud and will not be requested as legitimate payment.”

The case will be prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney Ramma R. Mineo, supervisor of the Elder Abuse Task Force, Holihan said.