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The woman was on the phone with the alleged con artist when she flagged down a Suffolk County Police Officer on Friday, April 14, according to the department.
She told the officer, identified as Sergeant Christopher Racioppo, that she was speaking with a man who had sent her an email the night before about what appeared to be a fraudulent PayPal charge on her account.
The man allegedly told her to take about $10,000 in cash.
Believing this was a scam, Racioppo reportedly took the woman to her Patchogue bank to ensure no money had been taken out of her account.
After confirming the woman had not yet lost any money, detectives set up a sting operation.
Authorities said Racioppo kept the scammer on the phone and they arranged a meeting at a local 7-Eleven.
Upon arriving at the location and identifying themselves to officers, Flushing residents Taidong Lin, 46, and Xiuying Lin, 36, were arrested.
Taidong Lin was charged with:
- Third-degree attempted grand larceny
- Seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance
He was arraigned and is expected back in court on Tuesday, May 2.
Xiuying Ling was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. She is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, May 4.
The Suffolk County Police Department reports that the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone who has additional information, or who believes they may have been a victim, is urged to call Financial Crimes detectives at 631-852-6821.
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