SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Two men were arrested in connection with a scam that targeted a 90-year-old Schenectady County resident, allegedly defrauding him out of $14,000.
Zhexxun Sun, 22, and Zhigang Wei, 52, face charges of third-degree grand larceny and sixth-degree conspiracy after an investigation by the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident began on May 13 when the elderly victim received an email claiming he had been charged $249 for an unknown service. When he called the number listed in the message, the person on the line assured him a refund was being processed.
However, a follow-up call from the same number falsely informed the man that $30,000 had accidentally been refunded to his PayPal account, and he was told to return the funds or face IRS penalties.
In a panic, the victim withdrew $14,000 — the maximum available from his bank — and handed the money to someone who came to his home the same day. On May 20, the scammers allegedly contacted him again to retrieve the remaining $16,000.
When Sun and Wei returned to the home on May 21, they parked in a neighbor’s driveway and entered the house. Authorities were waiting. As the two men exited, they were taken into custody by the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Unit and the Schenectady County Street Crimes Task Force.
Both suspects were arraigned by Judge Kenneth Litz in the Town of Rotterdam Justice Court and released on their own recognizance. Following the arrest, Homeland Security informed local authorities that Sun and Wei had fled to Canada, where Sun was detained on two outstanding warrants.
The investigation is ongoing.
