A Brooklyn man was arrested Monday and charged with attempted grand larceny for allegedly attempting to scam an East Rockaway woman out of $117,000.
According to the Nassau County Police Department, a 74-year-old woman received a message on her computer informing her that it had been compromised. It requested her to call a number displayed on her screen. When the woman made the call, she was told she needed to withdraw her funds from the bank to safeguard her money.
The victim complied and between Oct. 1 and Oct. 3, she withdrew $117,000 and gave it to numerous unknown men. On Monday, she realized she was being scammed and contacted police, and an investigation led them to Jinqin Jiang, 46, who was arrested after a brief struggle with officers.
Jiang is charged with attempted grand larceny and resisting arrest. He was released on an appearance ticket. A further investigation revealed he was in the country illegally, and he was taken into custody by agents of U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The NCPD urges the community to be on alert and remind vulnerable family members, friends and neighbors about potential scams. Anyone who may have been a victim can contact the Nassau County Fraud and Forgery Section at 516-573-2815 or call 911. All callers will remain anonymous.