Online scammer who bilked seniors out of $200K sentenced to 2-year prison term
Jiaci Liu was arrested outside the home of a 63-year-old Poway man in June 2023. The victim had been about to hand over $28,000 in the scam.
Dante Ulanday - News Moderator 
A Chinese national who took part in a scam that duped six senior citizens in just one week was sentenced in San Diego federal court Friday to two years in prison.
Prosecutors say victims in California and Arizona gave a total of just over $200,000 to Jiaci Liu, 35, in the span of one week.
Liu’s role in the scam culminated in San Diego County, where he was arrested outside the home of a 63-year-old Poway man in June 2023.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said a pop-up appeared on the Poway resident’s computer, which alerted him that there might be a virus on the device. The pop-up provided a phone number to contact, which prosecutors say led to a fake tech support hotline run by Liu’s co-conspirators.
In addition to being told he had viruses on his computer, the victim was transferred to other co-conspirators claiming to work for his bank. They told him they had detected unauthorized money transfers.
To protect his remaining funds from being stolen, the victim was advised to withdraw his cash. Though he took out $28,000, the victim became suspicious after being told a U.S. Marshals Service representative would come to his home to pick up the money.
He then contacted the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, leading to Liu’s arrest.
Prosecutors say a search of Liu’s phone revealed he’d picked up similar amounts of cash from five other victims, all in the prior week.
Liu’s plea agreement states that the other victims, who ranged in age from their mid- to late 70s to early eighties, gave him at least $202,500. At least one victim, prosecutors said, had suffered significant financial hardship.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Liu had faced a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
The case was investigated by the San Diego Elder Justice Task Force and its member agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Carlsbad Police Department, San Diego Police Department and the California Highway Patrol.
