Arrest made in ‘large-scale' financial scam that swindled thousands from elderly victim
Police in Simi Valley have arrested a 21-year-old man from Los Angeles County as part of an ongoing investigation into a 'large-scale' financial scam operation targeting at least one elderly resident.
On March 19, officers from the Simi Valley Police Department arrested Ruishan Liu of West Covina for his alleged role in the scheme.
The Chinese-born suspect is accused of targeting an elderly Simi Valley resident and 'manipulating' them into withdrawing and handing over $200,000 in cash by claiming it was part of a bank security measure.
The victim, authorities said, would transfer funds to people they believed were bank representatives but were in fact scammers.
The crimes eventually got the attention of the Simi Valley Police Department who, with assistance from Ventura County's Organized Retail Theft Task Force, deployed a sting operation to catch Liu in the act.
At an undisclosed location, Liu arrived to collect a decoy package that he was told was filled with a large amount of cash that the victim had recently withdrawn.
When he arrived, officers arrested him and took him into custody. He's remained at the Ventura Main Jail since his arrest as he awaits felony charges for his involvement in the scam.
Authorities did not say if there are additional co-conspirators or if Liu acted alone.
His arrest, according to police, sheds more light on the growing trend of financial scams targeting vulnerable victims, often scaring them into willingly handing over substantial amounts of money to thieves. The scams range in complexity and often involve the use of cryptocurrencies or gift cards, but can also come in the form of a simple withdrawal like the one in this recent arrest.
'The Simi Valley Police Department encourages the public to exercise caution and skepticism with unsolicited requests involving financial transactions,' officials said.
For a list of common financial scams and warning signs to look out for, visit the FBI website. You can also report online scams through the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Liu is being held on $150,000 bail and is due in court on April 10.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Russians vote in their first-ever presidential election
Today is Thursday, June 12, the 163rd day of 2025. There are 202 days left in the year. Today in history: On June 12, 1991, Russians went to the polls for their first-ever presidential election, which resulted in victory for Boris Yeltsin. Also on this date: In 1939, the Baseball Hall of Fame was dedicated in Cooperstown, New York. In 1942, Anne Frank, a German-born Jewish girl living in Amsterdam, received a diary for her 13th birthday, less than a month before she and her family went into hiding from the Nazis. In 1963, civil rights leader Medgar Evers, 37, was shot and killed outside his home in Jackson, Mississippi. (In 1994, Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of murdering Evers and sentenced to life in prison, where he died in 2001.) In 1964, eight South African anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela, were sentenced to life in prison for committing acts of sabotage against South Africa' apartheid government. In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Loving v. Virginia, unanimously struck down state laws prohibiting interracial marriages, ruling that such laws violated the Fourteenth Amendment. In 1978, David Berkowitz was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for each of the six 'Son of Sam' killings committed in New York City over the previous two years. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan, during a visit to the divided German city of Berlin, exhorted Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to 'tear down this wall.' In 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were killed outside Simpson's Los Angeles home. (O.J. Simpson, Nicole Brown Simpson's ex-husband, was later acquitted of the killings in a criminal trial but was eventually held liable in a civil action.) In 2016, a gunman opened fire at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, leaving 49 people dead and 53 wounded in what was then the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history; the gunman, Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group during a three-hour standoff before being killed in a shootout with police. Today's Birthdays: Actor Sonia Manzano is 75. Actor-director Timothy Busfield is 68. Olympic track gold medalist Gwen Torrence is 60. Actor Rick Hoffman is 55. Actor-comedian Finesse Mitchell is 53. Actor Jason Mewes is 51. Blues musician Kenny Wayne Shepherd is 48. Actor Timothy Simons is 47. Singer-songwriter Robyn is 46. Model Adriana Lima is 44. Actor Dave Franco is 40. Country musician Chris Young is 40.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
FBI seeks woman accused of assaulting agent, stealing badge in Concord
The FBI's San Francisco field office is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of a woman who is accused of assaulting federal officers and stealing a special agent's badge in Concord this week. The FBI said in a news release the woman was wearing a black hoodie at the time of the incident. Photos released by the agency showed the woman was wearing a pink beanie and black medical mask. 'She is believed to be the individual who took the FBI Special Agent's badge,' the agency said in a statement. The alleged assault occurred on the same day immigration hearings in San Francisco and Concord were halted following protests after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted a new round of arrests. The FBI did not say in its statement whether the woman was involved in the Concord protests. At least four people were arrested at Concord's immigration court on Tuesday, according to a previous Chronicle report. Anyone who has information about the case can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, local FBI offices, the nearest American embassy or consulate or can submit a tip online at
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man arrested in connection to Cowabunga Bay shooting in Henderson
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Henderson police arrested a man in connection to a shooting at Cowabunga Bay Water Park that left one person injured. On Tuesday around 5:10 p.m., Henderson detectives and the FBI Criminal Apprehension Team arrested 25-year-old Diamante Burton near the 6000 block of Boulder Highway. He faces charges of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, battery with the use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm, three counts of discharging a gun where a person might be endangered, assault with a deadly weapon, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Man taken to hospital after shooting in Cowabunga Bay parking lot On May 30 around 11 p.m., Henderson police responded to the 900 block of Galleria Drive on North Gibson Road and West Galleria Drive after a report of a large fight. When officers arrived, people began to disperse and were asked to leave. Officers then left the area, however, shortly after, a separate fight and possible shooting were reported. When officers arrived a second time, they found a man with multiple apparent gunshot wounds lying on the ground. The man was taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries. One man was detained at the scene. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
