Story Archive

Sweet Revenge

A 79-year-old widow from Ottawa County, Mich., got a call telling her that her Social Security income was “being used to support terrorism and instructed her to purchase gold so law enforcement could track the criminals supporting terrorism.” She went to Grand Rapids Coins to buy $700,000 worth of gold, but the owner, Ben Soldaat, suspected a scam. He called the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, who confirmed his suspicions. The unnamed woman was supposed to meet someone with the gold at a donut shop near the store, but a detective met him instead. “The undercover agent dressed up like an older woman, came in and got a package of chocolate gold coins from us to deliver to the courier,” Soldaat said. When Yug B. Chauhan, 20, showed up, the detective gave him the chocolate, then arrested him. The woman, who asked not to be identified, hopes her story is a cautionary tale for other potential victims. “I happened to be able to get my money back, but a lot of people don’t,” she said. (MS/WOOD Grand Rapids) ...She’s worth her weight in gold.