Tai Su, 48, of West Covina, was arrested on federal charges stemming from his alleged attempt to obtain additional funds from two elderly victims who had already paid thousands as part of an online phishing scheme that locked up their home computer.
According to a federal complaint, Su was arrested at the victims’ Encino residence when he showed up to retrieve $35,000 from the two elderly victims who had already paid the fraudsters $25,000 in cash.
The cyberattack began on April 23 when the victims opened an email and clicked on a link launching malware that seized their computer and displayed a phone number that was purportedly “Microsoft Support.”
The victims were then connected to another person pretending to be a “Fraud and Risk Investigator” with City National Bank, who instructed the victims to withdraw $25,000 in cash and give the money to purported “federal agents” who would come to the victims’ house.
HSI agents on April 25 learned about the ongoing scam and planned a sting operation. On April 26, during a series of phone calls with participants in the scheme, the victims agreed to make another $35,000 cash payment.
At the agreed-upon time, Su drove to the victims’ home. He identified himself to an 86-year-old victim, gave a passcode, and then said he was from Coinbase, a popular cryptocurrency platform. HSI agents then arrested Su, who was found to be carrying thousands of dollars in cash in large denominations, according to the affidavit.
A criminal complaint contains allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The investigation was conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations-led El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, a multi-agency task force that includes federal and state investigators who are focused on financial crimes in Southern California.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kedar S. Bhatia and Joseph De Leon of the General Crimes Section are prosecuting this case.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Vulnerable Communities Task Force, which is focused on investigating and prosecuting individuals and entities that prey on communities that typically are less likely to report crimes to law enforcement and historically have had less legal recourse to address the offenders targeting them.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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