VENTURA, Calif. — A Northern California man is facing six felony charges in an alleged computer fraud scheme in which an elderly Ventura County Credit Union member was persuaded to withdraw $20,000 from two credit union branches and hand the cash to someone posing as a federal representative.
Ze Li, 35, of Fremont, is accused of acting as a courier for fraudsters who target elderly residents through computer scams, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. Li pleaded not guilty following his Aug. 31 arraignment.
The scheme began Aug. 4 when the victim received a pop-up message on his computer instructing him to call “Microsoft,” prosecutors said. After calling the number, the victim was transferred among several unidentified people before speaking with someone who identified himself as “Damian Myers.”
Myers allegedly told the victim that someone had made a fraudulent $25,000 charge against his Ventura County Credit Union account to purchase child pornography in China. Although the caller claimed the transaction had been stopped, he told the victim he needed to withdraw $25,000 to protect his money, prosecutors said. The claims were false.
Victim Coached on Withdrawing Money
The victim followed the instructions, withdrawing a combined $20,000 in cash from two credit union branches and buying an additional $5,000 in gift cards.
CBS Los Angeles identified the victim as Phillip Hammond, who said the scammers warned him not to tell credit union employees what was happening because an employee could be leaking information. Prosecutors said the fraudsters coached Hammond on what to tell tellers to get around fraud protections.
“The scammers typically will create a sense of urgency,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Dominic Kardum told CBS Los Angeles. “They will give the elderly victim stories to tell the bank teller with respect to why they’ve withdrawn such large amounts of cash.”
The caller then allegedly instructed Hammond to package the $20,000 in cash and said a “Federal Trade Commission representative” would meet him to collect it.
Prosecutors allege Li met Hammond at a location in Ventura on Aug. 5, accepted the package containing $20,000 and left.
Second Pickup Leads to Arrest
Hammond subsequently became suspicious and contacted law enforcement, but the alleged scammers continued communicating with him.
On Aug. 26, the person identifying himself as Myers contacted Hammond again. This time, Hammond immediately alerted authorities.
Ventura Police Department detectives and investigators with the District Attorney’s Office then arranged a sting operation in which Li allegedly was led to believe he would collect another $20,000.
Prosecutors said Li returned to Ventura on Aug. 27, met Hammond and accepted a package he believed contained the additional cash. Investigators arrested him shortly afterward.
Authorities believe Li was working as a courier collecting money for fraudsters operating outside Ventura County, rather than acting alone.
Six Felony Charges Filed
Li is charged with felony counts of grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, attempted grand theft and attempted theft from an elder or dependent adult, along with two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime.
Prosecutors also filed special allegations that the victim was particularly vulnerable and that the alleged crimes demonstrated planning, sophistication or professionalism.
The District Attorney’s Office warned that common signs of such scams include demands for immediate action, instructions to keep the matter secret, threats of arrest or financial loss and demands for payment through cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency, gold or wire transfers.
