HABERSHAM COUNTY — A judge denied bond Monday for two New York men charged with scamming a Cornelia resident out of tens of thousands of dollars.
Deputies arrested Ying Chen, 39, of Elmhurst, N.Y., and Jian Jun Zhan, 34, of Brooklyn, N.Y., on Friday, Sept. 26. Both are charged with theft by deception after allegedly stealing $40,000 from the victim and attempting to take another $30,000.
Fraud scheme
According to the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began when the victim received a suspicious email claiming to be from PayPal about a $399.99 charge.
The email provided a number to call to resolve the frozen account issue. Since the email appeared suspicious, the victim said he searched online and dialed an 833-number he believed was PayPal.
On the call, a man identifying himself as “Peter” instructed the victim to provide banking information and said someone would arrive at his home with a secret pass code. The victim withdrew $40,000 from his account and, when the suspect arrived at his home Friday afternoon and gave the code, he handed over the money.
Shortly afterward, the victim was told to withdraw another $30,000. He did so, but bank staff alerted a family member about the unusually large cash withdrawals. Concerned, the family member called 911.
Arrest and evidence
Family members tracked the suspects until deputies arrived. A responding deputy saw Zhan get into a gray Toyota Sienna with New York tags and pulled the vehicle over. Chen was driving, with Zhan in the passenger seat.
A Baldwin police officer assisted deputies in detaining the men. Authorities seized the van, $3,970 in cash, four cellphones, and Zhan’s wallet containing bank cards. The vehicle was towed to the sheriff’s office impound lot as evidence.
Both suspects remain in custody following the judge’s bond denial. The sheriff’s office says the investigation is ongoing and more information may be released as it becomes available.
