Three Chinese nationals — only one of which was present in the U.S. legally — have been arrested in York County for attempting to scam and 82-year-old Alfred man out of more $100,000.
“The local man was tricked into believing that he received a fraudulent payment in his bank account and was coaxed to repay the money with cash,” the York County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
“The scammers received an initial payment of $50,000 and returned on Tuesday to collect the remaining funds,” the Sheriffs office said.
The suspects are accused of tricking the elderly man into believing he had received a fraudulent payment in his bank account. They allegedly convinced him to repay the nonexistent funds in cash, according to the sheriff’s office.
While one of the suspects was present in the country legally on a green card, the others were not in the U.S. legally.
Investigators said the man initially handed over $50,000 to the scammers. When they returned on Tuesday to collect the remaining amount, deputies were waiting and took the suspects into custody.
The three individuals, who reportedly have limited English proficiency, all listed New York addresses. They face charges of theft by deception. Following their initial court appearances, the suspects were held on the following bail amounts:
- Meng Chen, 50, of Staten Island, New York, is a legal permanent resident with a green card. He remains incarcerated on $100,000 bail. Authorities released a photo of Chen wearing a gray shirt.
- Wen Chen, 23, of New York, is an illegal alien from China. He is being held on $150,000 bail and was photographed wearing an orange shirt.
- Weijie Yan, 21, of New York, entered the U.S. on a student visa but did not attend school. Authorities said he was previously deported but reentered the country illegally. Yan remains in custody on $150,000 bail. He was photographed wearing a black shirt.
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