A Florida man has been charged after serving as a money courier in a bank account scam that targeted an elderly victim.
Xiaofeng Wang was arrested in Charlotte County after deputies say he tried to collect $30,000 in cash from an elderly man. Reports Gulf Coast News.
The victim says the scam started after a pop-up message appeared on his computer, claiming the device had been hacked and asking him to call a listed phone number. After calling, the elderly man said the scammers remotely accessed his computer and falsely claimed to have found 23 instances of child pornography on the device. He also says the thieves told him that hackers from China and Russia were trying to steal $22,000 from his bank account.
The man says he was transferred to another scammer posing as a bank representative and was directed to withdraw cash from several of his accounts to protect his funds. He says he eventually withdrew $30,000, and was asked to photograph the money, put it inside a shoe box sealed with duct tape, and leave it at the end of his driveway for a courier to retrieve.
When the victim’s children noticed the unusual banking transactions and discovered their father was still on the phone with the scammers, they contacted the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. Police responded to intercept anyone trying to collect money.
While deputies were at the home, they saw a car slowly pass in front of the home. The driver, Xiaofeng Wang, was detained for questioning. Investigators say Wang initially claimed he was driving through the neighborhood looking for homes for sale, but later admitted during an interview that he was working as a courier for the scam.
According to investigators, Wang received information including the addresses of the victims, their ages, and the amounts of money to be collected before traveling to their homes to retrieve the money. Wang also told deputies that he did not realize his actions were illegal.
Wang was arrested on charges of money laundering and fraud planning and is being held without bail.
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