Alameda County man charged with elderly fraud after scamming Ventura County man out of $20k
A Northern California man was charged on Wednesday with stealing $20,000 from an elderly man as part of an alleged computer fraud scam, according to prosecutors.
In a news release, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said that Ze Li, 35, of Fremont in Alameda County, was charged with one felony count each of grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, attempted grand theft, attempted theft from an elder or dependent adult and two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime.
Prosecutors also noted that Li faces special allegations that the victim was particularly vulnerable and that the "manner in which the crimes were carried out indicates planning, sophistication, or professionalism."
During a court appearance on Monday, Li pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to the DA's Office, the victim, only identified as an elderly Ventura County man, received a pop-up message on his computer that instructed him to call Microsoft at a number provided in the message.
"After calling the number, the victim was transferred through several unidentified individuals before speaking with a person identifying himself as 'Damian Myers,'" the release said. "Myers allegedly told the victim that someone had made a $25,000 fraudulent charge from his Ventura County Credit Union account to purchase child pornography in China."
Prosecutors said that Myers told the victim that the transaction was stopped, but he would need to withdraw the same amount in cash to protect his funds. The victim followed the instructions, withdrawing $20,000 from two credit union branches and purchasing an additional $5,000 in gift cards.
"Myers then instructed the victim to package the $20,000 in cash because a 'Federal Trade Commission representative' would meet him to collect the money," the release said. "On August 5, 2026, Li allegedly met the victim at a Ventura location and accepted a package containing $20,000 in cash before leaving the area."
Afterward, the victim became suspicious and reported the incident to law enforcement.
According to the DA's Office release, Myers continued to contact the victim after the exchange, including on August 26, when the victim notified law enforcement.
The next day, Ventura Police Department detectives with the Street Crimes Unit, along with investigators from the DA's Office, "conducted an operation in which Li was allegedly lured back to Ventura under the belief he was picking up another $20,000 in cash from the victim."
When Li arrived to receive the package, he was taken into custody.
"Investigators believe Li acted as a courier to pick up stolen funds for fraudsters operating outside Ventura County who target elderly residents through computer scams," prosecutors said.
Li is due back in court on September 4 for a bail review hearing. He currently remains behind bars in lieu of $250,000 bail.
