GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A Chinese national living in Apopka has been arrested for her alleged role in a fraud scheme that targeted and deceived an elderly Gainesville resident out of $15,000.
Xin Liu, 40, was taken into custody on November 27 after the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office discovered evidence linking her to a broader scam involving cyber intrusions and phone-based fraud. Investigators contacted the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) after finding the Gainesville victim’s address stored in Liu’s phone.
The 72-year-old victim told detectives he had been too embarrassed to report the scam earlier. He believed he had lost as much as $60,000, although he could only verify two specific transactions. One of those, he said, involved an Asian woman who came to his home on July 30 to pick up $15,000 in cash.
According to the victim, the scheme began when a pop-up alert appeared on his computer. After clicking on it, he received a call from someone claiming to be with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The caller claimed his identity had been stolen and that criminals were siphoning money from his accounts to buy Bitcoin. The victim then allowed remote access to his computer so the scammer could “verify” the issue.
From there, the scammers convinced him to transfer money to resolve the supposed security breaches, warning him not to speak to his bank because “accomplices” were allegedly working inside the institution. At their direction, he transferred $20,000 to a Wells Fargo account and mailed additional funds to a business in California, though he could not recall the exact amount.
During a post-Miranda interview in Manatee County, Liu reportedly gave inconsistent statements. She eventually claimed she had answered an ad on a Chinese social media app offering driving work. Liu said she was paid to pick up packages from elderly clients and deliver them to other individuals, including an Arabic man in St. Petersburg. She said she often kept a portion of the cash from each pickup and acknowledged she believed the elderly victims were likely being exploited.
Investigators say Liu’s phone data placed her near the Gainesville victim’s home on July 30. Text messages also included the victim’s address and instructions related to the pickup. One message warned Liu not to “let yesterday’s situation happen again”—a reference to a July 29 incident in which Liu allegedly posed as an FBI agent while picking up a package in Manatee County. That victim grew suspicious and photographed Liu and her vehicle.
Liu has been charged with participating in a scheme to defraud. Her full criminal history and immigration status remain unclear. Judge James Colaw has ordered her held on $250,000 bail.
