Two women from California, Cindy Yaohua Gou, 33, and Zhu Ping Ge, 29, were arrested after attempting to scam a 79-year-old woman in Gardnerville Ranchos, Nevada. The women were accused of exploiting the elderly victim after she was tricked into providing her bank details for a fake refund. Bail was set at $45,000 each.
The incident began when the victim received an email claiming she had signed up for a subscription service and was unknowingly charged. The suspects convinced the victim that a refund had been issued to her in error and demanded that she repay a larger sum of money. Suspicious of the situation, the victim contacted the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office before the money was exchanged.
This is the second such incident in four months in which elderly residents were targeted by scammers. In September, Minglong Chen was arrested for attempting to extort $12,000 from a 91-year-old woman. The Sheriff’s Office warns residents to be vigilant against such scams and to remain cautious of unsolicited communication from unknown sources.
Gou and Ge are scheduled to appear in East Fork Justice Court on Wednesday.