Las Vegas, NV – A widespread scam involving fake tech support and fraudulent banking alerts has led to the arrest of 12 people in Las Vegas, according to Metro Police. Among those arrested were Guo Zhongqui, 43, and Lin Lin, 45, both identified as political refugees from China.
The scheme defrauded nearly two dozen victims out of a combined total of $3 million. Victims were tricked by phishing emails, text messages, or pop-ups that appeared to come from trusted financial institutions or internet service providers. Once deceived, victims were led to believe their personal information or bank accounts had been compromised.
According to LVMPD Capt. Noel Roberts, scammers instructed victims to withdraw large sums of cash and hand it over to couriers for “safekeeping” while investigations were supposedly underway.
One victim lost $70,000 after receiving a warning pop-up on her computer. She called the number provided and followed instructions to deliver two $35,000 payments at separate locations. Surveillance footage later helped police identify a car linked to Zhongqui.
In another case, a person received a suspicious email about tech charges and eventually handed over $28,000 in cash to someone believed to be Zhongqui or Lin.
Both men took Alford pleas to charges of possessing stolen property, meaning they did not admit guilt but acknowledged that prosecutors had sufficient evidence for a conviction. They were sentenced to 19–48 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution.
Officials urge anyone who may have been targeted by similar scams to come forward immediately. “Don’t be embarrassed,” said Capt. Roberts. “The sooner detectives begin their investigation, the better the chance of recovering stolen funds and bringing scammers to justice.”
Authorities, including the FBI, remind the public to verify suspicious communications. Legitimate companies will never request cash or send couriers for money pickups.
