LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Two men allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from several Las Vegas-area victims as part of a widespread internet scheme, the 8 News Now Investigators have learned.
Guo Zhongquin, 44; and Lin Lin, 44; face charges of theft and obtaining money by false pretenses, records said. The charges are connected to five incidents where the men allegedly stole large amounts of money from victims who believed their personal information was hacked or that they had signed up for a service they did not pay.
In August, a woman filed a police report saying she paid two men $70,000 after her computer was hacked, documents said. The woman told police the message on her computer said “all of her personal information was in jeopardy of being stolen and used” so she called the number of the screen and handed over the money.
During the phone call, a person instructed the woman to pay two $35,000 payments to two runners whom she met at two different locations across the Las Vegas valley, documents said.
Police reviewed surveillance video of the two handoffs, finding a vehicle involved matched a California registration for Zhongqui, they said.
About two weeks later, a second person reported a similar incident to Metro police. That person received an email about charges for a technology company. The person later deposited a large amount of cash, but the transaction did not clear. However, a person, believed to be Zhongqui or Lin, came to the victim’s house and retrieved $28,000 in cash.
Several weeks later, a third person reported a similar incident involving an email. In this case, a woman handed over $66,000 to a scammer. In a fourth case, a woman handed over nearly $20,000.
Detectives found Zhongqui’s car, tracking him and another person and a fifth handoff, they said. Police stopped the car, finding $50,000 in cash. In total, the fifth victim handed over about $200,000 in cash and cryptocurrency, police said.
At the time of Zhongqui’s arrest, Lin’s actual identity was unknown, according to court documents. Both men remained in custody Thursday on $100,000 bail.
Neighbors within Metro police’s jurisdiction can find a report at any command center. The FBI warns consumers to be aware of the authenticity of any suspicious email or alert: Companies will not suddenly demand access.
Anyone who believes they are the victim of any online fraudulent activity can report it directly to the FBI at ic3.gov. The FBI also offers information on its website about how to spot the most common scams and cybercrimes.
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