A man sentenced to two years in prison in San Diego federal court on Friday for his involvement in a scam that duped multiple senior citizens into withdrawing and handing over large amounts of cash.
According to prosecutors, six victims in California and Arizona handed Jiaci Liu a total of slightly over $200,000 in one week.
Related posts
Liu’s role in the scheme culminated in June 2023, when he was apprehended outside the Poway house of a 63-year-old man.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, a pop-up appeared on the Poway resident’s computer, warning him that the device may contain a virus. The pop-up offered a phone number to call, which authorities said led to a bogus tech assistance hotline run by Liu’s co-conspirators.
In addition to being told he had infections on his computer, the victim was moved to other co-conspirators who claimed to work for his bank and informed him that there had been illicit money transfers.
To protect his remaining funds from theft, the victim was advised to remove them. Despite withdrawing $28,000, the victim got skeptical after being promised that a US Marshals Service official would come to his house to collect the money. He then informed the police, prompting Liu’s arrest.
Prosecutors said a search of Liu’s phone revealed that he had taken similar amounts of cash from five other victims in the previous week.
According to Liu’s plea deal, the other victims ranged in age from mid- to late-70s to 83 years old, and they handed him at least $202,500. Earlier this year, he pled guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud.
