Man Accused Of Scamming Berkeley Woman: Police

BERKELEY, NJ —Berkeley Township police charged a Flushing, New York, man after investigating a reported theft from a senior citizen in the Holiday City section of town.

Police said the case was reported May 25, 2026, after the resident told officers that a Microsoft error message pop-up had taken over her home computer screen during April and displayed a phone number to call.

According to the Berkeley Township Police Department, the resident contacted the number and spoke with a man claiming to be from Microsoft, who told her her bank accounts had been compromised.

Over the following weeks, police said, the victim was led to believe the people she was speaking with each day were government agents with the Federal Trade Commission who were trying to protect her money by storing it.

Before contacting police, she had already turned over a large quantity of U.S. currency, including cash handed to a courier she met locally and a separate wire transfer, according to the department.

Police said the contact continued even after the victim realized it was a scam. According to the department, the people involved told her that banks were corrupt and that she should turn over her remaining money for safekeeping.

During the investigation, the Berkeley Township Police Detective Bureau canvassed the area where the exchange happened and obtained surveillance footage from nearby residences and businesses, according to police. The footage provided information used to identify a suspect and vehicle from the earlier meeting, the department reported.

Over the following week, police arranged for the people involved to come from New York to pick up the victim's remaining cash, according to the department. Police said the exchange unfolded similarly to the first one, with the same courier driving by the victim's home before going to a pre-arranged meeting location and waiting for her arrival with the cash.

Investigating detectives and members of the Berkeley Township Patrol Division then surveilled the man in a white BMW and took him into custody without incident, police said. The suspect was identified as Ren Xin Huang, 54, of Flushing, New York. Police said he was taken to Berkeley Township Police Headquarters, processed and remanded to the Ocean County Correctional Facility in accordance with Bail Reform.

Huang was charged with third-degree theft by deception, third-degree money laundering, conspiracy to commit third-degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit third-degree money laundering, according to police.

Additional evidence was seized and the investigation is continuing. Police said additional charges may follow.

The department also reminded residents that banks, government agencies and financial institutions will not ask customers to transfer or withdraw money for safekeeping and said suspected scams should be reported through official channels and to law enforcement as soon as possible.