MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies arrested a man accused of scamming an elderly resident out of thousands of dollars in a fraudulent scheme involving fake tech support and bogus bank agents.
Jiang Jingcai was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with fraud—enhanced due to the victim being over 65—and use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the scam began Tuesday when the victim received a pop-up message on his iPad urging him to call a number to verify that his device had not been compromised.
Upon calling, he was contacted by a woman identifying herself as “Sydney” from his bank’s “investigations division.” She convinced the victim to purchase $4,000 in gift cards and mail them to various addresses as a supposed safeguard for his personal data.
“Sydney” even sent fake documents on counterfeit bank letterhead to legitimize the scam.
The next day, she instructed the victim to withdraw $15,000 in cash and place it in a box for an “agent” to pick up.
Suspicious of the escalating requests, the victim reported the incident to authorities. Marion County detectives set up a sting operation at the victim’s residence.
When Jiang Jingcai arrived to collect the cash, deputies arrested him without incident. He is now being held at the Marion County Jail with no bond.
