(File Photo of a Scam Alert Logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pennsylvania State Police are investigating after a resident of the Pittsburgh-area was scammed out of over $5 million by people pretending to be the Federal Trade Commission. According to a public information release report from Pennsylvania State Police, the U.S. Secret Service notified troopers in Greensburg about a fraud investigation on February 24th, 2026. The victim stated that they first responded to text messages regarding a PayPal transaction. This response then led to the victim being contacted again by a person who claimed to work at the Federal Trade Commission. Officials expressed that the victim was first asked to provide cash and was then later asked to purchase gold bars. The transaction occurred in the Unity Township area. Secret Service and the Pennsylvania State Police are asking any victim that has had similar circumstances, regardless of a completed transaction, to call 724-832-3288.