On September 28, 2025, the Stuart Police Department in Florida, with assistance from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and state prosecutors, arrested 22-year-old Coral Springs resident Yican Wu for serving as a money mule for a common tech support scam, where:
- The scammers will contact their victims over the phone, falsely claiming their computers were hacked and used to purchase CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.
- In order to avoid “legal trouble,” the victim will be asked to withdraw $40,000 from their bank account and hand it off to a designated courier, or money mule.
- In the case of Wu, he as a mule will pose as a federal agent under the name of “Chris Michael” and further coerce the victim with threats of legal ramifications.
Wu was arrested on charges of conspiracy, unlawful use of a two-way communication device and attempted scheme to defraud a victim between $20,000 and $50,000