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On Thursday, July 13, a Manhasset woman received an email from what she believed was PayPal, according to Nassau County Police.
The email claimed the woman had a fraudulent payment on her PayPal account, and gave her a number to call.
When she called the false PayPal number, they told her that she owed $39,000.
She was told to withdraw the money and that a representative from the US Department of Justice would come to her home to pick it up.
The victim complied and gave the envelope of money to an unknown man that showed up to her house.
A few days after the incident, the victim decided to contact the police.
Nassau County Police reported that, during the department’s investigation, the man contacted the victim again, this time asking for an additional $10,000 and arranging to meet with her.
When the two met, the woman purportedly gave the scammer an envelope, though it is unclear if this envelope had any cash in it.
Two men were nabbed in relation to the scam:
- Yisheng Zhang, aged 29; and
- Bai Lun Wu, aged 29.
Additionally, officers found a substance believed to be ketamine in the scammers’ car.
Zhang and Wu are charged with attempted grand larceny and possession of a controlled substance.
They are scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, July 19 at First District Court.
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