A 35-year-old Fremont man is behind bars after Ventura County investigators say he collected $20,000 in cash from an elderly victim as part of a tech-support scam, then walked straight into a police sting when he came back for more. Ze Li was arrested on August 27 at a designated meetup spot where he expected to pick up another $20,000, according to authorities.
The case began earlier that month, when a pop-up message on the victim's computer directed him to call “Microsoft,” according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. A caller identifying himself as “Damian Myers” allegedly told the victim that $25,000 had been fraudulently charged to his Ventura County Credit Union account for illegal materials in China, and instructed him to withdraw $25,000 in cash to protect his money. The victim ultimately handed over $20,000 in cash to Li, per the same office.
Investigators believe Li was acting as a courier for fraudsters targeting elderly residents through computer scams, and they set up an undercover operation to catch him when he returned for a second cash pickup, as reported by FOX 11 Los Angeles. Li was taken into custody on the spot when he arrived expecting to collect the additional $20,000.
Not Guilty Plea, $250,000 Bail
Li, born April 10, 1991, was arraigned on August 31 in Ventura County Superior Court, where he pleaded not guilty to all counts. Bail was set at $250,000, the district attorney's office says. The felony complaint includes special sentencing allegations claiming the victim was particularly vulnerable and that the crime was carried out with planning, sophistication, or professionalism.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Dominic Kardum of the office's Fraud Technology Crimes Unit has been assigned to prosecute the case. Under California Penal Code Section 368, financial abuse or theft against a victim 65 or older is a felony punishable by up to four years in state prison and fines as high as $10,000, according to Eisner Gorin LLP.
Ventura County investigators believe there may be additional victims tied to the scheme and are asking anyone with information to come forward. The Ventura County District Attorney's Office is urging victims or witnesses to contact DA Investigator Eric Jensen at 805-662-1750.
A Growing Pattern of Cash Couriers
The Ventura County case fits a pattern investigators and federal agencies have flagged nationwide: scammers running fake tech-support or bank-fraud schemes increasingly send physical couriers to collect cash directly from victims, sidestepping bank fraud alerts that would otherwise flag a wire transfer. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that tech support scams accounted for more than $1.46 billion in reported losses nationwide in 2024, according to Outseer, alongside federal warnings about the rise in courier pickups targeting seniors.
California has consistently ranked as the top state for reported elder fraud, with FBI data showing nationwide elder fraud losses topped $3.4 billion in 2023 and California accounting for more than $620 million of that total. A Federal Trade Commission report found that older adults reported $159 million in tech support scam losses in 2024, with people over 60 making up 62% of all reported victims of tech support pop-up schemes.
Southern California has seen similar cases play out in recent months. In neighboring Santa Barbara County, sheriff's deputies arrested two men after a $50,000 senior shakedown sting in February after setting a trap during a similar scheme, in which an elderly resident was instructed to withdraw cash to protect her bank account.
Warning Signs Authorities Want Residents to Know
The district attorney's office is urging residents to watch for red flags common to these scams, including threats of arrest or losing money, urgent demands to act immediately, instructions not to contact a bank, family or law enforcement, requests for gift cards, cryptocurrency, gold or cash, and requests to keep the matter secret. Officials stress that legitimate businesses and government agencies will never ask someone to withdraw cash and hand it to a stranger to protect their money.
