They Scammed an Elderly Man Out of $25,000 - Then Called Back for $50,000 More While He Was Talking to Police

The Text That Started It

On March 18, 2026, a senior citizen in Ventura, California received a text message instructing him to confirm an alleged $350 Apple Store purchase on his credit card. The message included a phone number and told him to call immediately.

When he called, an unidentified person on the line told him his Ventura County Credit Union account had been linked to child sexual abuse content based in Canada. He was then transferred to another caller - a woman who identified herself as representing the credit union’s fraud department and called herself “Jade” - who instructed him to withdraw $25,000 in cash and deliver it to what she described as an undercover police officer.

She gave him a code phrase to say at the handoff. He said it. He handed over the money.

The Following Day

The victim and his spouse suspected something was wrong shortly after the exchange. They contacted the Ventura Police Department and were connected with detectives from the Street Crimes Unit to report what had happened on March 18.

On March 19, while detectives were interviewing the victim, “Jade” called again. This time, she was asking for $50,000.

Investigators monitored the call. They set up a sting operation.

The Arrest

Yanwen Gu, 40, of Rosemead, California, arrived to collect what she believed was the second payment. She accepted the code phrase from the victim and took a package she believed contained $50,000 in cash. Ventura Police officers arrested her immediately after she attempted to flee on foot.

Shaohua Sun, 39, of Monterey Park, was arrested separately. Investigators determined he had acted as a lookout during the exchange.

Ventura Police Chief David Dickey credited the victim directly. “The victim’s decision to give us a call and work with our detectives was critical in helping us stop this scam before additional money was lost,” Dickey said.

The Plea

Shaohua Sun pleaded guilty on May 7, 2026. Prior to entering his plea, he surrendered $25,000 representing full restitution. Yanwen Gu pleaded guilty on May 11, 2026.

Both entered guilty pleas to felony conspiracy to commit elder abuse. The charges carried special allegations that the crime involved planning, sophistication, and professionalism, and that the victim was particularly vulnerable. Both face up to four years in custody and a two-year grant of formal probation. Sentencing for Gu is scheduled for June 9 and for Sun on June 12, both in Ventura County Superior Court.

How the Scam Is Built

The scheme is a well-documented variation of the imposter scam - one of the most common fraud patterns targeting older adults, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

The sequence is deliberate. A text or call manufactures a fake financial emergency. The victim is transferred through a chain of voices, each one adding authority to the fiction. A fake law enforcement contact provides the final instruction. The code phrase - a small detail - is engineered to make the handoff feel official and sanctioned.

The core mechanism is fear. The false claim that a bank account is tied to criminal activity in another country is specifically designed to override the victim’s instinct to pause and verify. The instruction to act immediately, to say nothing to family members, to deliver cash to a stranger: every step is designed to prevent the one phone call that ends it.

In this case, that call came a few hours after the first loss - and it was enough.

What the District Attorney Said

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office urged families and caregivers to speak regularly with elderly people in their lives about these tactics. “These scams are designed to prey on fear and isolation, and they can happen to anyone,” the DA’s office stated. “We encourage families, neighbors, and caregivers to regularly check in with the elderly members of our community and remind them to never hand over money.”

The warning applies regardless of how the contact arrives - by text, phone, or in person. The script is adapted constantly. The structure is not.

References: Ventura police interrupt elder scam operation | 2 LA County residents plead guilty to text message scam targeting senior | Scammers take plea deal after attempting same scam on same elderly victim the following day