A Chinese national has been arrested in Ohio after authorities say a Perkins Township man was scammed out of more than $800,000 in an elaborate fraud scheme involving Bitcoin payments and gold transfers.
Fujian Qiu, 37, of Flushing, New York, is facing multiple charges including complicity to theft, a first-degree felony; theft, a second-degree felony; tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; and possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.
According to the Perkins Township Police Department, a 72-year-old resident contacted authorities on Feb. 1 after realizing he had likely been targeted in a scam. The man told investigators he had come across a social media advertisement asking users whether they had previously been victims of scams. The ad directed him to a website where he was connected with individuals who claimed they could help him recover money he had lost in a previous fraud.
Police say the individuals he communicated with were likely operating from India. They allegedly convinced the victim that he could recover his earlier losses but needed to pay various processing and recovery fees.
The scammers instructed the man to make several payments using Bitcoin and wire transfers to cover the supposed costs of retrieving his money.
Investigators said the scammers kept the victim engaged for months beginning in June or July. When the victim eventually told them he no longer had funds available for transfers but did have a significant amount of precious metals, the scammers arranged for a courier to collect the items.
On Nov. 25, the victim met with a courier at a business in the 5500 block of Milan Road (U.S. 250) and handed over nearly $175,000 worth of gold. According to investigators, the victim said he met with an Asian man in his 30s during the exchange.
Authorities said the scammers told the victim the courier would identify himself by giving him a dollar bill with a specific name written on it — in this case, “Allan.” All communication between the victim and the scammers reportedly took place through the messaging app Telegram.
After the victim reported the situation to police, investigators took control of his Telegram account and continued communicating with the scammers as part of the investigation.
Police later informed the scammers that the victim had obtained about $100,000 more in gold in order to catch up on the accumulating “fees.” Another exchange was arranged for Feb. 26, but this time officers prepared fake gold bars and had the victim wear a recording device.
Authorities say Qiu left a New York airport shortly after 7 a.m. on Feb. 26 and landed in Cleveland a few hours later. Within about two hours of arriving, he traveled to Perkins Township to complete the transaction.
After the exchange took place, officers conducted a traffic stop and arrested Qiu.
Detectives interviewed him with the help of a Mandarin interpreter. According to investigators, Qiu provided some information before requesting an attorney.
Police seized his cellphone and are seeking a search warrant to review its contents, including files and call logs.
Officers said Qiu was carrying a backpack containing a change of clothes, a New York identification card, a passport, a credit card and a small amount of cash. He also reportedly had a return ticket to New York scheduled for later that night.
Investigators said Qiu entered the United States after crossing from Mexico into California in October 2023. He was detained at the border and later released on his own recognizance, and officials said he did not have any pending immigration court dates.
Qiu is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at Sandusky Municipal Court on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. As of Tuesday, he was being held at Erie County Jail on a $300,000 bond and also faces a no-bond immigration hold from the U.S. Border Patrol.
