Scam of elderly man goes so well, con artists strike again. But their timing is horrible

"They deceived a Ventura man into giving them $25,000 and were arrested after attempting to take $50,000 more, authorities say. First came the suspicious, unexpected text message. Included in the communication was a return phone number and a plea to call "immediately." By evening's end, a frazzled Ventura senior citizen - during a cloak-and-dagger assignation - had uttered a secret code to a person who claimed to be law enforcement, then handed him $25,000."

"It was the culmination of a well-executed scam - so successful that the San Gabriel Valley pair behind the scheme decided to try it again, authorities said. They contacted the same Ventura senior, and this time, they asked for double, authorities said. But the victim, realizing he'd been duped, had reached out to police. And the scammers contacted him right when he was in the middle of an interview with detectives, authorities said."

"In the end, Shaohua Sun, 39, of Monterey Park and Yanwen Gu, 40, of Rosemead were arrested by Ventura police detectives and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit elder abuse. The charge carried special allegations of the victim being particularly vulnerable and crimes indicating planning, sophistication and professionalism. Sun pleaded guilty Thursday and paid back $25,000; Gu pleaded guilty Monday."

"The Chinese natives are currently incarcerated at the Ventura County Main Jail and the Todd Road Jail, respectively, and face up to four years' imprisonment followed by two years of probation. Gu will be sentenced in Ventura County Superior Court on June 9, and Sun follows on June 12."

Shaohua Sun and Yanwen Gu were arrested by Ventura police detectives and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit elder abuse. The case involved special allegations that the victim was particularly vulnerable and that the crimes showed planning, sophistication, and professionalism. The scammers used a suspicious text message that included a return phone number and an instruction to call immediately. A Ventura senior citizen was persuaded to meet a person claiming to be law enforcement and to hand over $25,000. The pair later attempted to contact the same victim again to demand double the amount. The victim contacted police, and the scammers reached him while he was interviewing with detectives. Sun and Gu are incarcerated and face up to four years in prison followed by two years of probation.

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