A San Diego man has been charged in connection with a multimillion-dollar tech support scam targeting seniors, including a 63-year-old man from Poway who was duped into withdrawing $28,000 from his bank account.
Jiaci Liu, 34, of Monterey Park, California, appeared in federal court today following his arrest for engaging in a multinational fraud conspiracy targeting seniors, according to a federal complaint.
According to the complaint, the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force learned of the fraud scheme after the victim reported to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department that he had been duped as part of a layered tech support, bank impersonation and government impersonation scam.
The victim was instructed to contact a phone number, where he was transferred through a series of co-conspirators pretending to work in tech support. The victim was informed that his computer had viruses and was instructed to withdraw all his money for safekeeping. At the direction of the conspirators, the victim withdrew $28,000 from his bank account.
Liu’s cellphone was seized and later searched, and investigators located evidence indicating that in just one week in June 2023, he had picked up over $348,000 from multiple victims located in Southern California and Phoenix, Arizona.
“Everyone with a computer is vulnerable to sophisticated scams like the one alleged in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “If you think you’ve been targeted, report it quickly. The faster the report comes in, the more likely we are to catch the scammers and recover any swindled money.”
A detention hearing is scheduled for May 24, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge David D. Leshner. This case was investigated by the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force and its member agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department, San Diego Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available through the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). You can also report fraud to any local law enforcement agency or on the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari.
Related Federal Cases
- Scammer Snared: Jiaci Liu, 34, Charged in $348,000 Elderly Tech Support Scam · Arizona
- Tech Scammer Jiaci Liu Targets Seniors for $348K · Arizona
- Liu’s Tech Scam Preys on Elderly, $348k Stolen · Arizona
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- Allen Smith Sentenced in $1M Pet Product Label Scam · Texas
Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Cybercrime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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