Los Angeles woman was arrested on charges of defrauding an elderly woman among thousands of dollars through a detailed plan.
The suspect was identified as Caihong Lei, 34, according to the Sharif Office of Santa Barbara.
On August 4, the victim, a 77 -year -old woman, received a call from the suspect who pretended to be an amazon employee. The investigators told the victim that the victim falsely told the unauthorized charges at her expense and classified bank accounts that were opened in her name.
The call was transferred to the deputy of the Federal Federal Trade Committee (FTC), who asked the victim to withdraw $ 30,000 in cash from its bank accounts to “solve” issues.
The court documents said: “The deceased trained them to manufacture a story to avoid bank doubts, and remained at stake during withdrawals in two branches of Bank of America, and demanded pictures of cash and receipts, and a sealed fund containing money.”
The victim became suspicious after I noticed the mistakes in an email from the fake agent, so she called the deputies while she was still on the phone with the deception.
The authorities arrived at the victim’s house, where they were reported that she had monitored the female suspect who is staying near the house while recovering the IMF.
While she was walking towards her car, she was quickly arrested by the deputies and was detained in the Santa Barbara province prison on charges of major theft and conspiracy to commit fraud. She is being held on bail of $ 500,000.
Earlier that day, the deputies received reports of two similar connotations as the suspects fled $ 40,000 in Goeta and $ 45,000 in Montecito.
“Additional fraud in GOLETA and Montecito involves similar tactics, as the victims have been forced to withdraw large sums of money under wrong allegations,” the Sharif administration said. “The Criminal Investigation Department follows more expected clients, including potential links of organized fraud networks.”
Some tips to protect yourself from fraud include:
- Check the claims independently – never act on unwanted calls on account issues. Hanging
- Be careful of urgent demands – fraudsters create pressure to withdraw or send money quickly. Leck organizations such as Amazon or FTC do not require cash withdrawals or personal photos
- Protect personal information- Avoid sharing bank details, photos, passwords, or email. Report a suspicious activity to your bank immediately
- Identification of red flags – poor grammar, spelling errors, or unusual procedures requests (such as manufacturing stories) are common fraud indicators
- Report a suspicious activity – if you suspect a fraud, contact the local law enforcement agency. For emergency situations, request 911 or text message 911 if he is not able to call