Man arrested on suspicion of scamming elder adult in Stanislaus out of $30k. How it happened

By Dominique Williams

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man on suspicion of elder abuse after he allegedly scammed an older adult out of $30,000. 

Zhongqiang Chen, a 35-year-old male from Oakland, was booked Nov. 14 on additional charges including false or fraudulent representation, using a forged access card to obtain more than $400 and grand theft of more than $400 dollars.

On Nov. 12, an elderly female received a scam email of someone posing as McAfee Customer Service, telling her that her antivirus program had expired. 

The victim responded to the email and connected with a scammer, who took control of her computer, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The scammer transferred $60,000 from her money market account into her checking account. He then convinced the victim she owed him $60,000. 

The victim gave him an initial payment of $30,000.

On Nov. 13, the scammer called the victim and demanded the remaining $30,000. He told her he would arrange to pick up the money the following day. 

The victim told her son about the pickup, and her son contacted law enforcement. The Stanislaus Sheriff’s Office General Crimes Unit immediately began investigating the case, according to a news release. 

An undercover operation was conducted Nov. 14. Undercover detectives waited for the scammer to pick up the money at the victim’s residence. 

Around 12:30 p.m. that day, Chen was arrested when he arrived at the victim’s home as . He is being held on a $110,000 bail.

The case is still under investigation, and it is unknown if there are any additional victims or suspects.

Common scams targeting older adults in Stanislaus County 

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office said scammers are “good at pretending to be from an organization” and that they will often tell you there is a problem, for example: that you owe money to the government, that someone in your family had an emergency, there is a problem with your bank account or a virus on your computer. Others will say you won a lottery or sweepstakes, but you must first pay a fee. 

Scammers will pressure you to act immediately, according to the Sheriff’s Office. If not, there will be consequences, like arrest or suspension of privileges. They will ask you to pay using a specific method, such as an app or money order.

The average amount of money scammed from victims under age 19 is $250, Byron Nelson, an attorney at Stanislaus County’s Senior Advocacy Network-Senior Law Project, told The Modesto Bee in May 2023. The average amount scammed from victims age 80 and over is $1,500. 

“Some of it is opportunity,” Nelson said at the time. “Older adults are in their home and a lot of them are retired and they are the ones that will open the door, they are the ones that will answer the phone.”

Some common scams that have targeted local senior citizens in the county, according to Senior Law Project, include:

• Romance scams
  
• Banking scams
  
• Solar scams 
• Medicare scams 
• Investment scams 
• Sweepstakes and lottery scams 
• Grandparent scams 
• Tech support scams 
• Refund scams 
• Account verification scams 
• Financial scams 
• Health care scams 
• Identity theft 
• Home repair/improvement scams 
• Telephone and internet scams 
• Phishing scams 
• Online shopping scams 
• Charity scams 
• Government stimulus/grant scams 

The Office of the Attorney General has detailed some of these scams on its website.

How to prevent being scammed 

To avoid scams, do not provide personal or financial information in response to a request you did not make, the Sheriff’s Office says. Honest organizations will not call, email, or text to ask for personal information, according to police. 

“Please resist the pressure to act immediately,” the news release read. “An honest business will give you time to make a decision. Please stop and talk to someone you trust before you do anything else.” 

The Senior Law Project recommends these tips to avoid becoming a victim of a scam: 

• If you don’t recognize the phone number, you don’t have to answer the phone 
• If a company calls and requests money or information, hang up and call the number listed online 
• If your child or grandchild calls to ask for money, hang up and call to see if there really is trouble
• Before signing an electric contract, request a paper copy in your native language and review it 
• You can’t win something if you haven’t entered 
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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Man arrested on suspicion of scamming elder adult in Stanislaus out of $30k. How it happened