Two Men Charged For Nationwide Fraud Scheme Targeting Hundreds Of Elderly Victims

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton; Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Christopher G. Raia; and Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch,  announced charges against JINGBIN JIANG and SU JIAN LIU, a/k/a “Fatty,” a/k/a “Ah Pang,” for a scheme to defraud elderly victims across the United States, which attempted to steal over $18 million from over 350 victims and resulted in actual losses of over $5 million to over 70 victims.  JIANG was arrested in Staten Island this morning and will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron.  LIU is still at large.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil.

“As alleged, Jingbin Jiang and Su Jian Liu worked together with others to steal the hard-earned money of some our most vulnerable New Yorkers and others around the country,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “Taking advantage of our elderly after they have worked so hard to save and contributed so much to our city and this country is heartless and despicable.  These charges, and the efforts of the FBI and the NYPD, should serve as a warning to fraudsters and cybercriminals: New Yorkers want you held accountable for your crimes, and the women and men of our Office are committed to doing so.”

“Jingbin Jiang and Su Jian Liu allegedly defrauded elderly victims of more than $5 million by utilizing extortionate tactics to coerce withdrawals of significant cash or purchases of gold,” said FBI Assistant Director Christopher G. Raia.  “This alleged conspiracy wielded fear of bankruptcy and arrest to ensure victims complied with the unlawful requests for money.  The FBI is committed to apprehending any individual who utilizes online platforms to target and exploit vulnerable victims across the country.”

“These defendants allegedly led a nationwide fraud scheme with the goal of targeting innocent, elderly victims and stealing millions of their hard-earned savings,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.  “Jingbin Jiang and Su Jian Liu allegedly participated in a plot involving elaborate, fictitious narratives to manipulate elderly victims and trick them into participating in their scheme, which involved attempts to steal over $18 million from 350 people.  I am grateful to the members of the NYPD, FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for holding these alleged predatory fraudsters accountable.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:[1]

Between at least in or about 2023 and in or about July 2025, JIANG and LIU participated with others in a fraudulent scheme that primarily targeted elderly victims located all across the United States, including in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, California, Connecticut, Arizona, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Mississippi, Kentucky, Utah, Oregon, Colorado, and Montana.

The scheme proceeded in the following manner: First, victims would typically see a pop-up message on their computers indicating that they needed to call a particular phone number controlled by members of the scheme.  The pop-up message would typically claim to come from a technology company, a bank, or the government.  Second, when victims called the phone number, they were told a fictitious narrative that would ultimately lead to a suggestion that the victims withdraw money from their bank account.  For example, some victims were falsely told that their computers had a virus, or that their computers had been hacked into and used to commit serious crimes, like downloading child sexual abuse material.  Others were falsely told that their bank accounts had been compromised and were vulnerable to unauthorized withdrawals.  To avoid arrest or protect their bank accounts from being compromised, victims were instructed to withdraw large amounts of cash from their bank accounts or purchase large quantities of gold.  Some victims were even told that their money would be safely held in the custody of a consumer protection agency like the Federal Trade Commission, and they were sent notices on fake federal government letterhead purporting to bear the signature of a federal government official:

Third, many victims were told that a courier would be arriving at their home (or other coordinated pick-up location) to retrieve the gold and/or cash.  Victims were often provided with the courier’s name (which was fictitious), a description of the courier’s clothing, and sometimes a password, purportedly to ensure the courier was authorized to pick up the gold and/or cash.  Other victims were told to purchase and transfer cryptocurrency or gift cards, which did not require a courier.  Victims were typically under the impression that this gold and/or cash would then be deposited, on the victims’ behalf, into a new, safe, uncompromised bank account (or with the Federal Trade Commission, as noted above) that they could access without concern in the future.  In reality, these funds were stolen and never returned to the victims.  Some victims engaged in multiple transactions before realizing the fraudulent nature of the scheme.

JIANG and LIU participated in the scheme by managing and supervising the couriers that traveled to meet the victims to pick up the cash and gold, which was then transported back to New York City.  JIANG and LIU received information about potential victims from other members of the scheme on text-messaging platforms, in messages that typically included the zip codes and the amounts of cash or gold to be collected from each victim. JIANG and LIU could then decide whether to accept the pick-up, and if they did, the other members of the scheme would provide more specific details about the victim and when and where to pick up the cash or gold.  After arranging for couriers to make the pick-ups, JIANG and LIU would provide updates to other members of the scheme about the couriers’ progress.  After the victims provided the criminal proceeds to the couriers, JIANG and LIU arranged for the criminal proceeds to be distributed to other members of the scheme, including by converting cash and gold into cryptocurrency to be easily transmitted to members of the scheme located overseas, including in India and China.  In total, members of the conspiracy have attempted to steal at least approximately $18 million from over 350 victims, and they have successfully stolen at least approximately $5 million from over 70 victims.

If you or someone you know has been victimized by this scheme, please file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, which is available at ic3.gov.

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JIANG, 37, of Staten Island, New York, and LIU, 38 of Edmond, Oklahoma, are both charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the investigative work of the FBI and NYPD’s Joint Organized Crime Task Force.  Mr. Clayton also thanked the New York State Police and the Bedford Police Department for their assistance in the investigation of this case.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Violent & Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew K. Chan and Angela Zhu are in charge of the prosecution. 

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.