The Auglaize County Sheriff's Office is warning residents about a growing number of scams after several recent arrests tied to fraud cases that targeted local victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to Sheriff Michael L. Vorhees, investigators have handled numerous scam complaints over the last year involving suspects traveling from out of state to collect money directly from victims.

In one case, the Wapakoneta Police Department responded on April 24 after two city residents reported they had lost more than $108,000 through wire transfers after scammers convinced them their computer had a virus. Investigators say the victims were later instructed to withdraw another $200,000 to purchase gold bars for pickup by the suspects. Working with the Grand Lake Task Force, authorities organized a sting operation and arrested 46-year-old Feng Huang of Brooklyn, New York, when he arrived to collect the gold. Huang faces charges of theft by deception and tampering with evidence.

In a separate investigation, the Sheriff’s Office says a Pusheta Township resident was scammed after receiving what appeared to be a fraudulent PayPal fraud alert email. Investigators say the victim withdrew $30,000 and handed it to a suspect before family members encouraged them to contact law enforcement when scammers requested another $50,000. Detectives later conducted an undercover operation that resulted in the arrests of 20-year-old Naijah Thornton and 19-year-old Kyndall Wilson, both of Redford, Michigan. Both women are charged with theft by deception.

Sheriff Vorhees says scammers often pressure victims into withdrawing large sums of money or purchasing gold and warn residents to contact local law enforcement before giving money to anyone claiming to represent a bank, tech company, or government agency. The Sheriff says agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation continue assisting with investigations into the scams.