Elder Phone Scam In LI; Victim Handed Over $16,000: Police

SADDLE ROCK, NY — Two men were arrested Monday in connection to an elder scam take took in January.

The male victim, 83, from Saddle Rock, received a notification on his computer that the device was compromised and he needed to contact the number on the computer screen for assistance.

On the other end of the phone, the person claimed he worked for Microsoft and advised the victim that suspicious activity was discovered on his phone and with his bank account, Nassau police said.

The person requested he withdraw $16,000 in cash to fix the problem. The victim did and an unknown man collected the money on January 19, authorities said.

The next day, the victim received a call from a different man instructing him to get another $15,000 in cash, which he did, police said.

However, when another man called back to collect the money, the victim contacted the police.

An investigation led detectives to arrest Rong Chen, 47, of Queens; and ZhenSheng Yu, 46, of Syosset. They are each charged with grand larceny. Chen was arraigned on Monday. Yu is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday.

The Nassau County Police Department urges the community to be on alert and reminds
vulnerable family members, friends and neighbors about potential scams or fraud.

Detectives request anyone with information on the above crime to contact
Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or call 911.