VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Felony charges have been filed against 44-year-old Yongan Ma of Rosemead in connections with a fraud scheme that targeted an elderly Thousand Oaks victim earlier this year.
On April 2, 2026, a senior citizen was deleting spam emails on her home computer when she clicked on a link that caused a pop-up message to appear stated the Ventura County District Attorney's Office in a press release Wednesday.
The message told her to not shut her computer off and to immediately call a phone number displayed in the pop-up explained the local prosecutor's office.
According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, the woman called the number and spoke with an unidentified person who claimed her computer had been infected with malware and then transferred the local woman to someone posing as an officer with the Federal Trade Commission.
The scammer falsely informed the victim that she was a suspect in a money laundering investigation and needed to immediately withdraw money from her bank accounts and provide receipts to prove those funds belonged to her detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
The Ventura County District Attorney's Office shared that the woman was also told that the U.S. Treasury Department was involved in the investigation and would freeze her accounts if she did not comply during the call.
The scammer posing as a federal employee remained on the line and ordered the victim to visit multiple banks and withdraw $15,000 in cash and that, "two people were watching her home" during the drive noted the local prosecutor's office.
Ultimately, the local woman withdrew $14,000 in cash and returned home where she was told to wait for someone named "Lisa" to arrive and provide a password before the victim would surrender the cash explained the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
On April 2, around 3 p.m., the woman met with an unidentified woman at her home and gave her the $14,000 in cash after hearing the password stated the local prosecutor's office.
The next day, the local woman realized she had been scammed and told a family member who contacted law enforcement shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, detectives with the Sheriff's Office determined that Ma had driven the unidentified female courier to the victim's home on April 2.
Ma was arrested on July 22 in Pasadena on suspicion of knowingly driving the courier to the local woman's home to carry out the scheme as well as personally benefitting from the theft noted the prosecutor's office.
During his initial court appearance on July 24, Ma pled not guilty to all charged counts and he is next due in court for an early disposition conference on Aug. 4 of this year shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Despite the objection of Senior Deputy District Attorney Dominic Kardum during the court proceedings earlier this month, the court released Ma on his own recognizance added the prosecutor's office.
Anyone who believes they know of a victim of a similar scam is asked to contact District Attorney Investigator Eric Jensen at 805-662-1750.
These types of scams are not new, but are growing in frequency as well as sophistication across the nation as other local prosecutor's offices have warned.
Below are some quick tips to lookout for regarding potential scammers:
Urgency: "You must act right now!" Scammers try to create a false sense of urgency in victims. Secrecy: "Don't tell anyone!" Scammers often tell victims not to tell anybody, including law enforcement and tellers at your local bank about what is happening. Fear: Threats that you will be arrested, sued, or lose your money if you do not comply. These tactics are intended to make victims frightened enough to comply without waiting. Unusual payment methods: Requests for gift cards, cryptocurrency, gold, wire transfers,or cash pickups. These payment methods are great for scammers to avoid being caught, but are not used by law enforcement agencies or government bodies. Isolation: Scammers give instructions not to contact your bank, family members, or law enforcement to make victims feel frightened and embarrassed once they realize what is happeningYongan Ma Charged In Connection with Fraud Scheme Targeting Local Elderly Victim News Channel 3-12.
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