MANCHESTER, N.H. — Two men from New York are facing felony charges after allegedly scamming an elderly Charlestown resident out of $25,000 in a fake PayPal refund scam, with plans to steal an additional $25,000 before being caught.
According to court documents, the elderly victim received a fraud alert regarding a PayPal transaction and called the number provided. On the line, scammers posing as representatives tricked the victim into downloading remote access software, allowing them to control his computer.
The victim was then shown a fake refund of $50,000—ten times the supposed error. The scammers demanded he return the overpayment, claiming he owed them $25,000.
On their instructions, the victim withdrew $25,000 in cash and handed it off at his home to a money mule. The scammers then requested the remaining amount.
Fortunately, when the victim tried to wire the second $25,000, bank staff flagged the transaction and notified police. Working with officers, the victim staged a fake delivery, including a decoy package and body cam footage.
When the mule returned, police arrested Jianming Zeng, 33, of Brooklyn, and later caught Guohang Lin, 42, of Ridgewood, who was driving the getaway SUV. Both men are charged with theft by deception over $1,501, a Class A felony in New Hampshire.
Lt. Jonathan Graham of the Charlestown Police Department said,
“As a small agency, our best option is to intercept the money mule.”
Assistant Attorney General Nancy DeAngelis noted that scammers stole over $16 million in New Hampshire in 2024, mostly from elderly residents trying to protect their retirement funds.
“These scams make you believe your nest egg is in jeopardy,” DeAngelis said.
Officials hope that more prosecutions at the courier level will act as a deterrent, signaling that New Hampshire won’t tolerate this type of financial crime.