East County News Service

August 2, 2024 (San Diego) – The U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego announces the arrest of five Chinese nationals accused of participating in a fraud and money laundering scheme that bilked more than 2,000 seniors out of over $27 million.

The five defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly ran a multinational organized fraud ring targeting elderly victims across the U.S. from 2021 through June 2024. Conspirators contacted victims through pop-up ads, emails and phone calls to con victims into contacting scam call centers in India, the indictment indicates. Conspirators worked to build trust with victims, and in many cases, had victims install remote desktop software that they used to gain access to victims’ computers, accordingto prosecutors.

The scammers allegedly adopted a number of guises – posing as technical support, government and bank workers – to induce victims to send money to other conspirators, including the five defendants charged in the indictment.