Yesterday, the Morgan Hill Police Department said officers cut into an active courier-style scam after spotting a suspicious vehicle looping a neighborhood and pulling it over. Inside, police say they found more than $16,000 in cash and detained a suspect later identified as Chunhong Yang. Detectives say the scheme has hit residents from about 40 years old to their 80s, and that reported losses tied to similar scams in Morgan Hill have already topped $749,000 this year.
Police Say They Caught The Courier In Mid-Loop
"We’re sharing this to help protect our community, especially our seniors," the department wrote in a Facebook advisory about the stop. According to the Morgan Hill Police Department, detectives were already monitoring the area when they noticed a vehicle repeatedly circling the neighborhood. Officers then carried out a traffic stop that they say led to the discovery of the cash stash.
The department says the driver was cited for driving on a suspended license and transported to county jail, and that detectives are now digging into related fraud reports they believe may be tied to the same courier-style scheme.
Detectives Connect Stop To Senior’s $17,000 Loss
Property-crimes detectives told officers they are investigating an earlier case in which a Morgan Hill senior reported losing roughly $17,000 after phone scammers posed as a federal agency and arranged an in-person pickup of cash. In the advisory, police say known victims so far range from about 40 to over 80 years old and urge anyone who thinks they were targeted to reach out to investigators.
Officers say the cash recovered during the traffic stop is now part of the fraud investigation, and detectives are following up on leads they hope will identify additional victims, according to the Morgan Hill Police Department.
Why Courier Scams Keep Scoring Big
Courier and government-impersonation scams, where callers pressure people to withdraw cash, buy gift cards or hand over valuables to someone who shows up at the door, are a national headache that hits older adults especially hard. Federal prosecutors have recently reminded the public that "the government will never instruct an individual to deliver funds to a 'courier' who comes to the individual's residence," and have pointed victims to the National Elder Fraud Hotline for help, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
For practical tips on how to spot impersonator calls, check suspicious demands for money and report scams, the Federal Trade Commission maintains a toolkit of guidance and its ReportFraud.ftc.gov complaint portal.
How To Shield Seniors And Where To Report It
If you think someone has been targeted in Morgan Hill, police say you can call the city’s non-emergency dispatch line at (408) 779-2101, or 9-1-1 in an emergency. The department’s website lists additional local reporting contacts.
Scam victims and families can also file an online complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov. Police and federal agencies alike stress a few basics: treat any sudden demand for cash or gift cards as a red flag, independently verify scary claims by calling the supposed agency at a trusted number, and contact banks immediately if money has already been moved.
