SEAFORD, Del. – The Delaware State Police have arrested a couple from New York for felony theft following a courier scam investigation in Seaford.
On March 25, troopers were contacted by an 84-year-old man who believed he had fallen victim to a scam. Police learned that in the days prior, the victim encountered a pop-up on his computer that locked him out of the device and told him to call a phone number for assistance. The victim contacted the number and was then coerced into withdrawing a large sum of money and told to provide it to a courier who showed up at his home the next day.
While troopers were with the victim, he was contacted again by the scammers to arrange a pickup of another large sum of money. Sussex County Financial Crimes detectives, along with the Special Investigations Unit, were then able to identify 51-year-old Dongjun Zou and 47-year-old Wulian Fan, both from New York, as suspects.
Dongjun Zou, Courtesy Delaware State Police
Wulian Fan, Courtesy Delaware State Police
Police say detectives then conducted a traffic stop on Zou’s Nissan SUV and both suspects were arrested.
Zou was charged with the following offenses and released on an $18,000 unsecured bond:
Person knowingly acquires, maintains an interest in, conceals, possesses, transfers or transports the proceeds of criminal activity (Felony)Theft $1500 or Greater and Victim is 62 Years of Age or Older (Felony)Attempt to Commit Theft $1500 or Greater and Victim is 62 Years of Age or Older (Felony)Conspiracy Second Degree (Felony)
Fan was charged with the following offenses and released on a $5,000 unsecured bond:
Attempt to Commit Theft $1500 or Greater and Victim is 62 Years of Age or Older (Felony)Conspiracy Second Degree (Felony)
DSP advises that the public should stay alert to scams like this. If you are contacted in an unusual manner, pressured to act quickly, threatened with arrest or if something seems suspicious, you should pause, disengage and check with a trusted source. Legitimate businesses and government agencies will never ask for payment through gift cards, cryptocurrency, large amounts of cash or gold bars. They also will not ask for such payments through text, mail to an unknown address or a courier sent to your home.
More information on common frauds and scams across the country can be found here.