On September 12, 2025, the Aliquippa City Police Department and the Criminal Investigations Unit from Pennsylvania State Police arrested 35-year-old Chinese national Xinhua Chen for serving as a money mule for an Indian Social Security scam operation, where:
- The scammers will generate fake virus popups, urging their victims to call a designated “Microsoft support” line.
- When called, the scammers will falsely claim their victims’ bank account was “red flagged” for fraud and potential legal action for the purchase of CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.
- The call will then be transferred to a coworker, in this case “Roy Duncan,” who will pose as a fraud prevention officer of the victim’s bank and falsely claim 72 employees were recently arrested for fraudulent activity.
- The victim will be asked to withdraw $20,000 from their bank account, put it in a brown paper bag, duct tape the bag and hand it off to a designated courier or money mule who will pose as a detective from the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
- Once the money is received, the scammers will demand more money from their victim, either to be handed off to another mule or sent at a nearby Bitcoin ATM.
Chen was arrested after making a third attempt to collect money from a female victim in Hopewell Township, being apprehended before even attempting to flee the scene. Chen has since been charged with
- 3rd-degree Theft by Unlawful Taking
- 3rd-degree Theft by Deception
- 3rd-degree Theft by Extortion
- 3rd-degree Receipt of Stolen Property
- 3rd-degree Criminal Use of a Communication Facility
- 3rd-degree Conspiracy to commit Unlawful Use of a Computer
- 2nd-degree Impersonation of a Public Servant
Chen is currently being held at the Beaver County Jail without bail due to being deemed a flight risk by District Judge Felicia Santillan. He is also to be detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement given he’s an undocumented immigrant from China, SO I HOPE HE ENJOYS GAUTMO!
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/scammer-caught-aliquippa-state-police-152212004.html