17-05-2025
MCSO: SF man stole $25K from elderly Marin County resident in fake FBI agent scheme
(KRON) — A San Francisco man with ties to a large criminal organization helped scam an elderly Marin County resident out of $25,000, the Marin County Sheriff's Office said.
In February, someone impersonating the FBI allegedly contacted the elderly resident over the phone, claiming that there was an active investigation involving the victim's bank account. During the conversation, the person allegedly talked the victim into withdrawing the money and having it deposited into a ''safe Federal bank account' via courier,' the Marin County Sheriff's Office said.
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After the victim withdrew $25,000, 38-year-old Zian Hu of San Francisco allegedly showed up at the victim's house and collected the money.
'The fake FBI agents then attempted to convince the resident to purchase gold and provide it to a courier,' the MCSO said. 'At that point, the resident became suspicious and contacted a real FBI agent. The real FBI agent informed the resident that they were being scammed and directed them to contact local law enforcement.'
The MCSO identified Hu as a suspect in the case and arrested him at a home in Daly City. Hu was booked into the Marin County Jail on felony charges of grand theft, elder abuse and conspiracy.
'Based on Hu's connection with a larger criminal enterprise, Detectives believe Hu has access to large amounts of illegally obtained cash,' the MCSO said. 'A bail enhancement from $50,000 to $1 million was requested and granted.'
On May 12, MCSO detectives arrested 24-year-old Balraj Singh of Torrance for allegedly running a similar scam.
'Singh went to a victim's residence to pick up $50,000 in cash but was contacted by law enforcement before completing the theft,' the MCSO said. 'Singh was arrested and booked into the Marin County Jail for attempted grand theft, attempted elder abuse, and conspiracy.'
Singh is also allegedly connected to a larger criminal organization and has access to large amounts of illegally obtained cash. Based on these accusations, Singh was denied bail.
MCSO detectives are looking for possible accomplices in both cases. There is no confirmed connection between the cases at this time.
'The Marin County Sheriff's Office continues to notice an increase in scams targeting our elderly residents,' the MCSO said. 'While the specifics of each scam often varies, they often involve suspects arranging for couriers to pick up cash and/or gold.'
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There is no legitimate situation where a company or law enforcement agent will request delivery of cash/currency by courier.
There is no reason to withdraw funds or purchase gift cards and provide them to unknown individuals.
If you receive an email from a company that seems suspicious regarding a transaction, do not use the numbers provided on the email. Look up the company's phone number on their website.
Fraudulent/suspicious activity can come from emails, text messages, and phone calls.
If you are not sure if the correspondence from a business is legitimate, ask a friend, family member, or call your local law enforcement agency.
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