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

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

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.California Cynthia Song, 43, of Arcadia pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering on Tuesday.“Thanks to the outstanding investigative work and quick coordination by the Ventura Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit, these defendants were stopped before they could further exploit a vulnerable senior citizen,” Ventura County Dist.

Atty.Erik Nasarenko said in a statement on Tuesday.An after-hours call to at...