By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA–A California man targeting seniors in a computer virus scam was arrested by authorities this week in Poway.
Jiaci Liu, 34, a resident of Monterey Park, appeared in federal court following his arrest for engaging in a multinational wire fraud conspiracy targeting seniors, including a 63-year-old man from Poway.
According to a federal complaint, the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force (ETJF) learned of the fraud scheme after the victim reported to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department that he was duped as part of layered tech support, bank impersonation, and government impersonation scam.
While on his personal computer, a pop-up window appeared indicating a possible virus on his computer and instructing him to contact a phone number. When he contacted the number, he was transferred through a series of co-conspirators pretending to work in tech support. The victim was informed that his computer had viruses. The victim was then transferred to another conspirator who claimed to be from the victim’s bank. During that interaction, the victim was told there were unauthorized transfers from his bank. The victim was instructed to go immediately to his bank and to withdraw all his money for safekeeping.
At the direction of the conspirators, the victim went to his bank and withdrew $28,000. The victim was then instructed by the conspirators that someone from the U.S. Marshals Service would come to his house to pick up the money. After the interaction, the victim became suspicious and contacted the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, which informed the victim to contact them if anyone showed up to pick up the money.
According to the complaint, on June 9, 2023, defendant Jiaci Liu arrived at the victim’s residence. The victim called the police, who arrived and found Liu outside the victim’s home. Liu’s cell phone was seized and later searched. Investigators located evidence indicating that in just one week in June 2023, Liu had picked up over 348,000 dollars from multiple victims 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.”
“Individuals committing tech scams are getting more and more innovative with the methods they use to con innocent people,” said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. “The FBI and its law enforcement partners continually adapt our strategies so that we can stay ahead of those who scheme and collude to defraud the American public. We are committed to ensuring each of these individuals is brought to justice.”
A detention hearing was held on May 24 before the U.S. Magistrate Judge David Leshner.
If convicted on all charges, Liu could receive the maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, and a $1 million fine
The 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.
