2 Arrested In $25K 'Money Mule' Elder Fraud Scheme In Larchmont

LARCHMONT, NY — Police say an alert neighbor helped foil a plan to take advantage of an elderly woman.

The Larchmont Police Department says that officers arrested two men in connection with a targeted phone scam that tried to defraud a 75-year-old of $25,000.

On Monday, around 6:30 p.m., a neighbor contacted police with concerns that the victim was being manipulated by a scammer pretending to be a Bank of America representative.

The caller falsely told the victim that her cellphone had been hacked and that scammers were processing a $25,000 transaction from her account. The scammer then instructed the victim to withdraw that amount in cash for pickup by a purported bank representative.

Larchmont police immediately recognized the hallmarks of a "money mule" scam and planned to intervene.

Around 8:35 p.m., a white Toyota Venza arrived at the victim's home. A man got out of the vehicle, approached the front door, and received the cash from the victim, cops said. As the suspect returned to the vehicle, officers say they nabbed both the collector and driver without incident.

The two suspects, 37-year-old Qin Lin, of Staten Island, and 45-year-old Zhonglin Luo, of Brooklyn, were arrested and are being held pending arraignment.

The pair faces charges of felony third-degree grand larceny, felony third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, and misdemeanor fifth-degree conspiracy.

The Larchmont Police Department commended "the alertness of the reporting neighbor and the cooperation of the victim, whose composure during a frightening experience was instrumental in bringing the suspects to justice."

Police took the opportunity to remind residents that legitimate financial institutions would never ask customers to withdraw cash and hand it over to a representative at their home. If anyone receives such a call, they should hang up and contact police immediately.