A Florida man has been charged after allegedly 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 attempted to collect $30,000 in cash from an elderly man, reports Gulf Coast News.
The victim says the scam began after a pop-up message appeared on his computer, claiming the device had been hacked and instructing him to call a listed phone number. After calling, the elderly man says the scammers remotely accessed his computer and falsely claimed they had found 23 instances of child pornography on the device. He also says the thieves told him that hackers from China and Russia were attempting to steal $22,000 from his bank account.
The man says he was transferred to another scammer posing as a bank representative and was instructed to withdraw cash from several of his accounts to protect his money. He says he ultimately withdrew $30,000 and was told to photograph the cash, place it inside a taped-up shoebox and leave it at the end of his driveway for a courier to retrieve.
When the victim’s children noticed the unusual bank 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 attempting to collect the money.
While deputies were at the residence, they spotted a vehicle slowly passing by the home. The driver, Xiaofeng Wang, was detained for questioning. Investigators say Wang initially claimed he was driving through the neighborhood looking at homes for sale but later admitted during an interview that he was acting as a courier for the scam operation.
According to investigators, Wang received information including victims’ addresses, ages and the amounts of money to be collected before traveling to their homes to retrieve the cash. Wang also told deputies he did not realize his actions were illegal.
Wang was arrested on charges of money laundering and scheme to defraud and is in custody without bond.
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