2 LA County residents plead guilty to text message scam targeting senior
Two Los Angeles County residents pleaded guilty to scamming an elderly man out of $25,000.
As part of their plea deal, Yanwen Gu, 40, and Shaohua Sun, 39, face up to four years in custody plus a two-year grant of formal probation, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, which prosecuted the case.
"These scams are designed to prey on fear and isolation, and they can happen to anyone. We encourage families, neighbors, and caregivers to regularly check in with the elderly members of our community and remind them to never hand over money."
The scam occurred on March 18, after a local senior received a text message asking him to confirm a $350 charge on his credit card. The text provided a phone number for the elderly man to call "immediately," according to prosecutors.
While on the phone with the victim, a suspect told the senior that his credit union account was linked to child sexual abuse material in Canada.
He was then directed to call another number, where a woman directed him to withdraw $25,000 in cash and meet an undercover police officer in the City of Ventura. He handed the cash to the fake undercover officer and later that night realized he had been scammed, according to investigators.
The elderly man reported the incident to the Ventura Police Department. While he was talking to the detectives, the same woman contacted him again for another $50,000 payment.
Officers set up a sting operation and arrested Gu after she accepted what she believed was tens of thousands of dollars. Detectives believe Sun acted as a lookout for Gu and arrested him too.
"The victim's decision to give us a call and work with our detectives was critical in helping us stop this scam before additional money was lost," said Ventura Police Chief David Dickey. "These scams are highly sophisticated and often target older adults. We encourage all community members to have conversations with their loved ones about these tactics and to report suspicious circumstances or activity immediately."
Sun surrendered $25,000 as part of the plea deal.
