NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Scammers posing as federal agents across the country are dispatching couriers armed with secret passwords to collect gold bars from retirees, in some cases draining their life savings.

In Laramie, Wyoming, authorities said an elderly woman doled out about $131,000 in gold to a courier after people posing as Federal Trade Commission agents convinced her that her money was at risk, and pushed her to buy $460,000 in gold, according to the Laramie Boomerang . Police began investigating on Sept. 22.

In that case, a coin shop owner grew suspicious and suspected she was being scammed when police got involved and eventually arrested Jithin Sunny, who was charged with felony theft.

FORMER DISNEY STAR ERIK VON DETTEN SUED FOR ELDER ABUSE AFTER COUPLE POURED $2.1M RETIREMENT SAVINGS INTO GOLD

Jithin Sunny was arrested in Laramie, Wyoming, during an undercover operation involving an alleged gold scam targeting an elderly woman, authorities said.…