On July 10, 2025, the Ephrata Police Department filed criminal charges against Zhong Ren, 44, of Brooklyn, New York, for Theft by Unlawful Taking (F2), Criminal Conspiracy of Theft by Unlawful Taking (F2), Theft by Deception (F2), Criminal Conspiracy of Theft by Deception (F2) and Impersonating a Public Servant (M2). In April of 2025, an elderly local resident contacted the Ephrata Police Department to report theft of $555,892 worth of gold bars. Throughout the investigation, it was ascertained that in March of this year, unknown subjects were able to gain access to the victim’s computer and convince the victim to turn her lifetime investment accounts into physical gold.  The scammers told the victim that someone was attempting to withdraw funds from her investment accounts thus, they had instructed the victim to purchase gold bars and turn them over to supposed federal employees. The gold would then be placed in the Federal Reserve vault in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania while a fraud claim was being investigated. In April of 2025, individuals claiming to be federal employees arrived at the victim’s residence on two separate occasions and collected $555, 892 worth of gold bars. As the result of a complex investigation by the Ephrata Police Department Investigations Section and the Buckingham Police Department (Bucks County) one of the actors was identified as Zhong Ren. According to law enforcement sources, Ren could be a member of an international criminal organization that perpetrates these types of fraudulent activity. Zhong Ren was arraigned at Magisterial District Justice Landis’ office, and bail was set at $550,000. Ren was lodged at the Lancaster County Prison.