Three Men Arrested for Scamming $100K from Elderly Maine Man
ALFRED, Maine — Three Chinese nationals are facing theft by deception charges after allegedly scamming an 82-year-old man out of $100,000. The suspects—Meng Chen, 50, Wen Chen, 23, and Weijie Yan, 21—all from New York, were arrested after tricking the elderly victim into believing that a fraudulent payment had been made to his bank account.
According to York County Sheriff William King, the scammers initially tricked the man into paying $50,000 in cash to “repay” the supposed fraudulent payment. On Tuesday, they returned to collect the remaining $50,000, but the victim contacted authorities after paying the first installment.
Chief Deputy Jeremy Forbes of the sheriff’s department explained that the victim cooperated with police, who instructed him on what to say to the suspects. A money exchange was arranged on Gebung Road, where police quickly apprehended one of the suspects as he exited a vehicle. The other two suspects, inside the car, were also arrested.
The suspects face charges and were arraigned in court. Bail was set at $100,000 for Meng Chen and $150,000 for Wen Chen and Yan. Meng Chen, a U.S. green card holder, is the only one with legal immigration status. The other two are undocumented.
Forbes issued a warning to the public, emphasizing that scammers often target the elderly. He advised people to be cautious when receiving suspicious calls or messages asking for money and urged them to avoid sharing sensitive banking information.