Fremont man charged in $20K computer scam targeting elderly man
Zi Le is charged of scamming an elderly resident in Ventura County. Ventura County District Attorney's Office
VENTURE, Calif. - A Fremont man was arrested and charged in an elder fraud computer scam that targeted a Ventura County resident, officials announced.
Fremont man charged in computer scam
What we know:
Ze Li, of Fremont, was charged with stealing $20,000 from an elderly Ventura County resident, District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced.
The 35-year-old was charged with one felony count each of grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, attempted grand theft, and attempted theft from an elder or dependent adult, as well as two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime.
The charges include special allegations that the victim was particularly vulnerable and that the manner in which the crimes were carried out indicates planning, sophistication, or professionalism. Li pleaded not guilty to all charges during his arraignment on Monday, Aug. 31.
Victim received fraudulent computer pop-up
The backstory:
On Aug. 4, the victim received a pop-up message telling him to call "Microsoft." After calling the provided number, investigators said he was transferred to several unidentified individuals before speaking to "Damian Myers," who claimed a $25,000 fraudulent charge was made to purchase child pornography in China.
The victim was told to make a $25,000 withdrawal. Following orders, he took out $20,000 from two credit union branches, purchased $5,000 in gift cards, and packaged the $20,000 in cash. The following day, the victim met the suspect and handed over the money.
The victim then contacted authorities after becoming suspicious. Li, posing as "Damian Myers," continued to contact the victim.
On Aug. 27, investigators conducted an operation where the suspect believed he would receive an additional $20,000. During the meetup, Li was taken into custody. Authorities believe Li acted as a courier to pick up money from perpetrators outside Ventura County who target elderly residents through computer scams.
What we don't know:
The name and age of the victim was not publicly released.
What you can do:
Those who believe they have been scammed or are aware of similar incidents are encouraged to contact District Attorney Investigator Eric Hensen at 805-662-1750.
The Source: This article was written with information provided by a press release from the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.