A Macomb County senior handed $80,000 in cash to a courier after a caller falsely claimed criminals were laundering money through her USAA account.
The caller told her that withdrawing the savings was part of a security operation. She delivered $30,000 in a bank parking lot and another $50,000 at a Starbucks the next day.
Surveillance footage and evidence from a separate fraud investigation later connected Guodong Wu, 28, to both collections.
He pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge, and full restitution was required under the plea agreement.
She Delivered $30,000 and Then Another $50,000
The scheme began when someone contacted the woman and claimed suspicious money-laundering activity was occurring through her USAA account, according to Local 4. The caller said the money had to be removed from her account and placed somewhere secure. He instructed her to withdraw the savings and hand the cash to a courier.
On Oct. 28, 2025, the woman withdrew $30,000 and met the courier in the parking lot of a Huntington Bank branch in Fraser, Michigan. The following day, she withdrew another $50,000 and handed it over during a second meeting at a Starbucks in Fraser.
Another Fraud Investigation Led Police to Wu
Investigators received a break through a separate fraud case in another Michigan jurisdiction, where authorities had arrested someone suspected of participating in a similar operation.
Evidence recovered during that investigation connected Wu to the Macomb County collections, prosecutors said. Surveillance video from both locations showed Wu participating in the exchanges. The woman later identified him in a photographic lineup.
The Plea Reduced the Case to a Misdemeanor
Wu pleaded guilty on April 27, 2026, to false pretenses involving at least $200 but less than $1,000. The offense is a misdemeanor carrying a maximum sentence of one year. The reduced charge resolved the case even though the woman had surrendered $80,000.
Macomb County Circuit Judge James M. Maceroni sentenced Wu on July 14 to 116 days in jail and credited him for the 116 days he had already served. Wu was also ordered to pay fines and court costs.
Full restitution was a condition of Wu’s plea agreement, and prosecutors said the woman recovered every dollar she had handed to the courier. Prosecutors said Wu, a Chinese national, was in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the state proceedings.
USAA Says It Will Not Tell Customers to Withdraw Money
USAA says it will never tell a customer to transfer, send or withdraw money in response to a fraud alert. A customer receiving an unexpected security call can hang up and contact USAA through its official mobile app, website or the number printed on the back of the customer’s card. A phone number supplied by the caller should not be used to verify the claim.
The Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers often claim an account is connected to criminal activity and then say money must be moved to a secure location. The supposed safe account, cash courier or government storage arrangement is controlled by the people running the scheme.
The FBI has also warned that impersonation schemes increasingly use couriers to collect cash or precious metals directly from victims. Anyone asked to prepare a cash pickup should stop before the meeting, retain the caller’s number and messages, and contact local police.