Ventura County prosecutors charged Ze Li, 33, of Fremont, with grand theft and theft from an elder or dependent adult, according to a September 2 release from the District Attorney's Office. Investigators say Li was arrested in a sting on August 27, while attempting to collect a second $20,000 cash payment from an elderly victim.
The scheme began August 4, when the victim received a pop-up message instructing him to call "Microsoft." A caller who gave the name "Damian Myers" falsely told him his Ventura County Credit Union account had funded a $25,000 overseas crime, and that withdrawing the money in cash was the only way to protect it.
The victim withdrew $20,000 in cash and $5,000 in gift cards on August 5 and handed the cash to a courier in person. He grew suspicious afterward, reported the contact, and was still in touch with "Myers" when a second pickup was proposed for August 26.
That gap between the first payment and the second is what let Ventura police and DA investigators run the sting that ended the scheme, rather than document a loss after the fact. The DA's office describes Li as a courier working for fraudsters operating outside the county — consistent with a network, not a single actor.
Li was arraigned August 31 and pleaded not guilty to all charges; bail is set at $250,000. Larigent tracks cases like this one as part of its ongoing intelligence work.
If this is your family
If your parent gets a pop-up message telling them to call a tech-support number, the safest response is to shut the computer down and call you before dialing anything. No legitimate company or bank will ever ask someone to withdraw cash or gift cards to "protect" an account — that instruction is the scam itself.
Sources
Fremont Man Charged in Elder Fraud Computer Scam — Ventura County District Attorney's Office, Release No. 26-124, September 2, 2026