⏱ 2 min read
A Chinese national who went by the YouTube moniker ‘Little Tiger’ has been busted for his role in a $27 million multinational scam targeting 2,000 elderly victims across the US. Jiandong Chen, 41, pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a massive fraud and money laundering scheme.
Chen was part of a five-defendant indictment unsealed in 2024. The group operated a series of technical support, bank impersonation, government impersonation and refund scams. Victims received unsolicited phone calls, emails, and pop-up ads directing them to call a phone number linked to India-based scam call centers.
Once a victim called the call center, Chen and his conspirators used social engineering techniques to build trust with the victim. They’d often have victims download commercially available remote desktop software, which they’d use to access victims’ computers and carry on the scams.
The most common scam was a refund scam. Victims were told they were entitled to a small refund from a retailer for an alleged unauthorized charge. While pretending to process the refund, the victim would be accidentally ‘over-refunded’ money. The conspirators would then instruct the victim to send the alleged over-refunded money through wire transfer or in cash via express mail to members of the conspiracy.
Chen and his co-conspirators would induce victims to send money to them in the US, often in bulk cash via express mail packages or wire transfers. In one instance, a victim was even instructed to send cash directly to a member of the conspiracy.
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Defendant: California
- Location: CA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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