$30K Swindled From Northport Senior In 'Computer Hack' Scam: DA

NORTHPORT, NY — Suffolk County prosecutors said $30,000 has been returned to an 85-year-old Northport woman who was scammed out of her retirement savings after pop-up messages on her computer convinced her to hand cash over to someone posing as part of a bank-related fraud response.

Chao Chen, 34, of Queens, was charged with third-degree grand larceny, and Guiming Zhu, 44, of Brooklyn, was charged with third-degree attempted grand larceny, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office said.

According to prosecutors, the woman was on her home computer on Sept. 29, 2025, when she received multiple pop-up messages saying her computer had been compromised. One message instructed her to call a phone number for help.

The woman called and spoke with someone who falsely claimed to work for Apple, prosecutors said. After about two hours, she was connected with another person who falsely claimed to work for her bank, DA officials said.

That person told the woman that multiple credit and debit cards in her name had been compromised and that $45,000 had been spent on pornographic websites, prosecutors said.

The next day, Sept. 30, the person claiming to be from the bank told the woman to withdraw $30,000 and give it to him for safekeeping, prosecutors said. The woman withdrew the money, and Chen went to her home and took it, prosecutors said.

After sensing something was wrong, the woman contacted Northport Village police on Oct. 1, prosecutors said.

The scammers contacted the woman again on Oct. 2 and asked for another $30,000, prosecutors said.

A Northport Village detective identified Chen and Zhu as persons of interest and also identified a vehicle connected to the scheme, prosecutors said. Chen and Zhu were arrested by Northport police.

On Oct. 3, law enforcement in Franklin County, Georgia, acting on information from the Northport detective, located and stopped the vehicle, leading to the seizure of the $30,000 stolen from the woman, prosecutors said. The person driving the vehicle was not arrested at the time and has since fled to China, according to the DA’s office.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office’s Asset Forfeiture and Intelligence Bureau, DA investigators and the Northport detective coordinated with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia to obtain a court order returning the money to the victim, prosecutors said.

The DA’s office called the recovery uncommon in confidence fraud cases of this kind.

Chen was arraigned Oct. 2 before Northport Village Justice Brian Trodden on third-degree grand larceny, a Class D felony, prosecutors said. He was placed on supervised release and is due back in court May 11. He is represented by the Legal Aid Society, which was not immediately available for request for comment.

Zhu was arraigned in absentia Dec. 1 before Trodden on Attempted Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class E felony, prosecutors said. Zhu was placed in custody Feb. 9 because of an arrest warrant out of Ulster County, according to the DA’s office. He is also due back in court May 11 and is represented by Scott Zerner, who was not immediately available for a request for comment.

The investigation was conducted by Northport Village Police Detective Stephen Kerekes and Suffolk County District Attorney Investigator Paul Rauseo, with assistance from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia.

“I thank the Northport Village detective who took swift action and coordinated investigation efforts with my office and the Franklin County police in Georgia in order to identify those responsible and to recover the stolen funds,” Tierney said. "This case highlights the importance of not being embarrassed. If you alert law enforcement quickly to scams, we may be able to get your money back before it is gone.”

Suffolk County residents should be wary of scammers who use fear, urgency and secrecy to pressure victims into quick decisions, prosecutors said.

Residents should not give personal or banking information over the phone, prosecutors said. Anyone asked to withdraw cash or purchase gift cards and send them by mail or courier should contact their bank or local police immediately, DA officials said.