A Chinese national, Jiandong Chen, also known as “Little Tiger”, has confessed in a US federal court to involvement in a $27 million fraud and money laundering scheme. The operation, which ran from 2021 to 2023, targeted about 2,000 elderly victims in the United States. The scam utilized various deceptive tactics such as technical support scams, bank impersonation, government impersonation, and refund frauds to exploit victims, many of whom were in their 70s and 80s.
Chen and his associates employed social engineering techniques to gain victims’ trust, often convincing them to download remote desktop software. This allowed scammers to access victims’ computers and conduct fraudulent transactions. One common tactic involved a “refund scam” where victims were tricked into believing they were owed a refund, leading them to send excess amounts through wire transfers or express mail.
The network then instructed victims to send significant amounts of cash to operatives in the US, including locations in Southern California and Nevada. Chen, using fake identities and fraudulent driver’s licenses, retrieved packages containing cash sent by victims. In one incident captured on video, Chen was seen attempting to collect cash from what he thought was an elderly victim’s residence in Los Angeles, only to be exposed by YouTubers.
The network collaborated with overseas co-conspirators to launder the cash, including through cryptocurrency, to finance further operations. Authorities identified over 2,000 victims nationwide who collectively lost more than $27 million during the two-year period. Chen, arrested in August 2024, faces a potential 40-year prison sentence for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and up to 20 years for money laundering charges.
