Elderly Ohio resident fell for Microsoft scam, was set to lose over $60,000, 2 men arrested

Two men were arrested in Ohio after an elderly resident fell for a Microsoft computer scam.

The Noble County Sheriff’s Office is warning the Ohio Valley of a Microsoft scam that has “resurfaced with a vengeance.”

Sheriff Mackie says an elderly Noble County resident fell victim to this scam on September 30, 2024, when a pop-up appeared on their computer.

The scam displays a pop-up message on computers stating the device has been locked due to a virus. There is a phone number listed for you to call for “assistance.”

The victim called the number, which resulted in a nearly eight-hour phone call with a person claiming to be a representative of a bank’s fraud department, Noble County said. The victim stated they were told that $7,000 had been fraudulently withdrawn from their account and was going to be used for criminal activity, but they were able to get the transaction stopped. The scammer then informed the victim that someone from the victim’s bank was selling clients’ account information.

The scammer told the victim to make the first withdrawal, which was for $24,000. This scammer stayed on the phone with the victim while they went to the bank. A “runner” was then sent to the victim’s residence in Caldwell, Ohio to pick up the $24,000.

The scammer called back on October 1 and said they needed $40,000. The victim then called the Noble County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Division for advice and Noble County began an investigation.

On October 3, Noble County officials say they arrested Jie Chen and Qui Youkai of Elmhurst, New York who arrived in Caldwell, Ohio and picked the $40,000 from the elderly victim.

Sheriff’s Detectives then executed a search warrant on the suspect’s vehicle and recovered evidence of other victims, including $30,000 that was in a bank bag with a tracking device. The bank bag was hidden under the hood, near the engine compartment. Detectives also seized an additional $8,000 from the suspects during the initial arrest.

Jie Chen was charged with attempted theft, a third-degree felony, complicity to theft, a third-degree felony, complicity to breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony, and possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony. Qui Youkai was charged with attempted theft, a third-degree felony, complicity to theft, a third-degree felony, breaking and entering, a fifth-degree felony, and possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.

Jie Chen and Qui Youkai were given a $250,000 bond. Chen posted bond on October 9, 2024, but Youkai remains incarcerated.

Sheriff Mackie noted these scams have been around for years and usually involved the request for gift cards or funds being transferred electronically.

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