A 35-year-old Fremont man has been charged with multiple felonies in connection with a computer-based fraud that netted $20,000 from an elderly resident of Ventura County.
Ze Li was arraigned on Aug. 31 and entered not guilty pleas to counts of grand theft, theft from an elder, attempted grand theft, attempted elder theft and two conspiracy charges. Prosecutors added special allegations citing the victim's vulnerability and the organized nature of the offenses.
The scheme began on Aug. 4 when the victim encountered a pop-up message directing him to contact Microsoft. After following the instructions, he was connected to an individual identified as Damian Myers who claimed a $25,000 unauthorized purchase of child pornography had been made in China.
Li allegedly instructed the victim to withdraw cash and purchase gift cards. The victim removed $20,000 from two credit union locations, packaged the funds and met the suspect the next day to hand over the money.
After the transaction the victim grew suspicious and alerted authorities. Investigators later staged a second meeting on Aug. 27 during which Li expected to receive another $20,000 and was taken into custody.
Authorities described Li as a courier collecting proceeds for individuals operating outside Ventura County. The District Attorney's Office has asked anyone with information about similar incidents to contact Investigator Eric Hensen at 805-662-1750.
The case was reported by FOX 11 Los Angeles based on information released by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
This report is based on coverage by FOX 11 Los Angeles: https://www.foxla.com/news/ventura-county-resident-targeted-by-fremont-man-in-computer-scam