The arrest stemmed from an incident on Thursday, April 18, when a victim told Bedford Police that he had been swindled out of tens of thousands of dollars, the department announced on Wednesday, April 24.
According to Bedford Police, the victim had received a pop-up security alert appearing to be from "Microsoft" on their home computer that included a phone number to call for support. Upon calling the number, the victim was told by who they believed was a Microsoft employee that they would need to pay cash to safeguard their account and complete needed repairs.
A day after learning about the scam, detectives began investigating and determined the victim was still being contacted with requests for more funds. Eventually, authorities were able to identify and apprehend the suspect, identified as 48-year-old Brooklyn resident Jinguan Li, according to Bedford Police.
Li was found to have over $100,000 in stolen US currency, police added.
After Li's arrest, he was charged with second-degree grand larceny and released on his own recognizance. The investigation into Li's alleged crimes is still active and is being conducted by the Bedford Detective Bureau, Westchester County District Attorney's Office, and several other surrounding police agencies. More charges are expected, police said.
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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