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Officials of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office A fraud suspect was arrested Wednesday, believed to be part of a larger international scam.
On Tuesday, March 12, 2024, a 62-year-old resident of San Mateo County was a victim of fraud via Ransomware.
The suspect first contacted the victim via email, which resulted in phone calls, and eventually the fraudster was able to obtain remote control of the victim's computer.
The suspect posed as a representative of a large antivirus software and cybersecurity company and told the victim that he was entitled to a refund.
Authorities said in a statement that, over the course of a few hours, the victim was told he had to pay a large sum of cash to correct an error in the refund amount. The suspect arrived at the victim's home a few hours later and collected the money.
The next day, the victim contacted the Sheriff's Office and reported being a victim of fraud.
Officers immediately began investigating and identified a suspect, Hongliang He, 38, of Southern California.
Hongliang He was subsequently arrested and booked into Maguire Correctional Facility on charges of obtaining money by deception and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Based on the preliminary investigation, Sheriff's detectives believe this is part of a larger international scam.
Investigators are working to identify other suspects involved in this case and believe there may be more victims yet to be identified.
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office called for caution and to avoid sharing personal banking information with anyone who asks you for that information online or over the phone, especially if they ask you to provide money.
Likewise, they asked those who have more information about this case to contact Detective Matthew West atmwest@smcgov.org or 650-363-4050. Additionally, anonymous tips can be provided through the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office on their Anonymous Tip Line at 1-800-547-2700.
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