Jiaci Liu, a Chinese national, was sentenced in federal court today to 24 months in prison for scamming seniors out their life savings.
Court documents say that Liu used pop-ups to steal information from older Americans who don’t understand how the internet works.
A 63-year-old man from Poway, California reported to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department that he had been duped by a scam in which conspirators posed as technical support specialists, bank representatives and government officials.
While the man was on his computer, he called a number on a pop-up window that alleged a virus on his computer.
The criminals claimed to be from the victim’s bank and told him to withdraw all of his money. After the interaction, the victim became suspicious and contacted the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, which informed the victim to contact them if anyone showed up to pick up the money.
The victim withdrew $28,000 from his bank and gave it to someone posing as a U.S. Marshals Service. The sentence adds to the three months Liu already served in state custody before his case was charged federally.
Liu was originally arrested in February 2024 and charged by the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. Liu was transferred to federal custody in May 2024, when he was charged by federal criminal complaint for his role in the conspiracy. Crimes are sometimes transferred from state to federal prosecutors because federal law allows for the prosecution of offenses that involve victims beyond the state’s jurisdiction.
Liu arrived at the victim’s residence attempting to take the victim’s money. The victim called police, who arrived and found Liu outside the victim’s home. After Liu was arrested, his cellphone was seized and searched.
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Investigators located evidence that in just one week of the conspiracy, in June 2023, Liu had traveled throughout Southern California and Arizona and had taken over $202,000 directly from elderly victims.
The victims were from mid- to late-70s, but with one victim 83-years-old. Because of Liu and his co-conspirators, they lost substantial sums of money, including at least one victim who had suffered significant financial hardship.
In imposing Liu’s sentence, U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta found that the scheme involved “sophisticated means” and caused substantial financial hardship to the elderly victims.
Judge Ohta also highlighted that the in-person pickups from elderly victims was particularly concerning because it had the potential for physical injury or an altercation between the defendant and the elderly victims.
“Scamming the elderly is a reprehensible crime that robs individuals of their hard-earned savings and the dignity they deserve in their golden years,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “There’s a cruelty in being willing to con your way to a victim’s door, look your victim in the eye, and physically take their life savings from them. This office will not tolerate deceitful and cruel criminals exploiting seniors.”
“Thanks to the courage of one potential victim alerting law enforcement, today’s sentencing ensures that Liu will be held accountable for his actions in a multinational tech support scam,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office. “This case demonstrates the effectiveness of the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force through its collaborative partnerships in protecting our most vulnerable communities. The FBI is proud to play a role in that mission.”
This case was investigated by the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force and its member agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department, San Diego Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available through the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833 FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). You can also report fraud to any local law enforcement agency or on the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari.
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