Authorities make arrest in Redwood City elder fraud scheme

REDWOOD CITY — Police on Thursday arrested a 22-year-old Fresno man they say tried to scam an elderly Redwood City woman.

The victim contacted police around 3 p.m. Wednesday after becoming suspicious that she was the target of a fraud scheme, the Redwood City Police Department said in a news release.

Police said the woman reported receiving messages on her iPhone that AppleCare had detected suspicious activity. She then spoke with people posing as support representatives, who told her there were fraudulent charges associated with her bank account.

The suspects instructed the woman to withdraw cash from her account and hand it over to a courier, who would come to her residence to collect the money, police said.

Police intervened at that point. They coordinated further communication with the suspects, as well as put together a plan to identify and apprehend the courier if one arrived.

In the evening hours of Thursday, investigators identified a suspicious vehicle driving near the victim’s home. Officers attempted a traffic stop, but the driver sped away, police said.

Traffic conditions and the danger posed to the public prevented police from chasing after the driver.

However, investigators used automated license plate reader technology to track the car to San Francisco, where the driver was ultimately taken into custody, police said.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of financial elder abuse, attempted grand theft, conspiracy to commit a crime and fraud. He was booked at the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City, but no longer appeared to be in custody as of Friday.

The investigation remains ongoing, police said.

Police noted that many of these crimes are not reported until after a victim has suffered a financial loss.

“In this case, the victim recognized that something was wrong and contacted law enforcement before any money was turned over to the suspects,” police said in the release. “Her decision to contact police allowed investigators to intervene before a financial loss occurred and ultimately led to the identification and arrest of a suspect.”

Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 650-780-7100.