Police urge public vigilance following elaborate scam

KANAB, Utah. — On Thursday June 11, 2026 Kanab City Police were notified of a scam of a lo­cal elderly female. Officers learned that the victim received a message from “Apple” claiming that their account was hacked and a phone and an iPad were purchased without permis­sion. In calling the number provided, the victim was transferred to a person claiming to be from the FBI tracking her accounts and trying to protect her assets. The alleged FBI agent asked her to transfer money to an account that was secure.

Following that, over the next few days and weeks this same person con­vinced the victim that her iPhone and iPad were being tracked by the mafia and drug cartels trying to get her money. She was asked to purchase gold to protect her money. She did what she was asked and turned over the gold to an unknown female representing the FBI. This person did not speak English. The gold was turned over and the victim was further asked to gather identification docu­ments including driver’s license, passport and credit cards, and to take them to Las Vegas. Once in Las Vegas, she would meet with the agent and get her money back. Local officers were able to convince her not to go and were able to gather information to lure an al­leged suspect to Kanab.

On Sunday June 14, 2026, officers from Kanab City Police in conjunction with Kane County Sher­iff’s Office Major Crimes Task Force conducted an undercover sting opera­tion resulting in the arrest of Satham Singh, 26, of Grand Terrace, Calif. In­vestigation into Singh’s co-conspirators is ongoing.

The scam this citizen fell victim to is called the Gold Courier or Money Mule scam. The gold cou­rier scam is a devastating, highly coordinated fraud where scammers - often posing as federal agents, tech support or bank of­ficials - convince victims to liquidate their savings and convert them into gold bars or coins. The criminals then dispatch a “courier” to collect the precious metals from the victim’s home or a public location, promising the assets will be “safeguard­ed” in a government-protected account.

Kanab City Police wish to remind citizens that no law enforcement agency or bank will ever ask you to remove money from your account or ask you to purchase gold, coin or gift cards. Please verify the identities of anyone requesting money over the telephone. If you receive a call and you’re not sure if it’s a scam please contact your local law enforcement for help. Do not transfer money to anyone over the tele­phone. Please report any incidents of this nature to the local police or County Sheriff’s Department.