WESTFIELD, MA — An elderly man reported to police on Friday that he was scammed out of a large sum of cash after receiving a fraudulent text message about an Apple Account charge.
The victim told officers he received an unsolicited text message in the days prior stating his account had been charged for a new iPhone purchase.
The message included a telephone number, which the victim called.
The scam evolved into the caller claiming to be a bank investigator and showing fake credentials.
The scammer told the victim his bank account was compromised and instructed him to withdraw funds to protect them.
The victim was directed not to tell anyone, as the scammer claimed the investigation involved an inside job.
On Thursday evening, a man arrived on foot at the victim’s residence and took a bag containing the cash.
The following day, the scammer contacted the victim again and demanded more money.
On July 3, the Westfield Police Department, with assistance from the Westfield State University Police Department, conducted a sting operation and took two people into custody.
Xiaoming Chen, of Brooklyn, New York, was charged with larceny over $1,200 by false pretense, attempt to commit a crime, conspiracy and possession of cocaine.
Weilun Wu, of Brooklyn, New York, was charged with attempt to commit a crime and conspiracy.
The investigation remains ongoing as police believe additional suspects were involved.
Police remind the public that no legitimate government agency or bank investigator will instruct anyone over the phone to withdraw money.
Sending cash via courier, mail or depositing money into a Bitcoin ATM are all signs of a scam.
