A Long Island man withdrew $20,000 from his bank after a message on his computer warned that the device had been compromised. Before giving the cash to anyone, he began to suspect the emergency was a scam and contacted police.
Biaodi Jiang, 50, of Brooklyn, was arrested September 21 in connection with the attempted scam targeting the 68-year-old Baldwin resident. The Nassau County Police Department said he was charged with attempted third-degree grand larceny.
Police said the victim received the computer message at about 10:30 a.m. It displayed a phone number, and when he called it, he was told that he needed to withdraw money from his bank account to keep his funds safe. He went to the bank and withdrew $20,000.
The money never left his possession. After completing the withdrawal, the man suspected he was being scammed and called police. The department’s Electronic Squad and Fraud and Forgery Section investigated, and police said detectives located Jiang and arrested him without incident that same day.
Jiang Was Charged With Attempted Grand Larceny
Police charged Jiang with attempted grand larceny in the third degree and said he was scheduled for arraignment September 22 at First District Court in Hempstead.
Under New York Penal Law Section 155.35, stealing property worth more than $3,000 constitutes third-degree grand larceny, a Class D felony. The $20,000 that police say was targeted in the Baldwin case exceeds that value threshold.
New York’s attempt statute applies when a person intends to commit a crime and engages in conduct tending toward its commission. Under Section 110.05, an attempt to commit a Class D felony is a Class E felony.
Jiang is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Police Are Asking Other Potential Victims to Come Forward
Nassau County police used the arrest announcement to warn residents about similar fraud attempts and encouraged people to discuss scams with vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbors.
The department is asking anyone who believes they may have been victimized to contact the Nassau County Fraud and Forgery Section at 516-573-2815. Police said callers can remain anonymous.
A Security Pop-Up Should Not Tell You to Call a Number
The Federal Trade Commission warns that fake computer-security messages often claim something is wrong with a device and then display a phone number for the user to call. The FTC says genuine security pop-ups from technology companies do not tell users to call a phone number displayed in the warning.
Some versions of the scam escalate after the initial technology warning. The FTC’s tech-support guidance says scammers may claim that a bank, investment or retirement account has been compromised and then tell the target to withdraw cash, transfer money or buy gold supposedly to protect the funds.
The FTC says legitimate government officials and businesses will not instruct someone to move or withdraw money to make it safe. Anyone concerned about a real computer or bank problem should stop communicating through the number supplied in the unexpected message and instead contact the company or financial institution using independently verified information.
Suspected tech-support and impersonation scams can also be reported through ReportFraud.ftc.gov.