(KRON) – An Oakland man allegedly involved in a courier scam was arrested Thursday after a sting operation conducted by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
SCSO said it has received several reports in recent weeks of residents being targeted by a scam around the Windsor area.
“The caller told the victims that their bank accounts had been hacked and asked them to withdraw cash to be placed in a safe by couriers pretending to work for the federal government,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post.
Property crimes investigators, along with Windsor police, took the suspect into custody when he arrived during the sting operation and took a taste of the waiting packages, SCSO said.
Zhengning Chen was taken to the county jail on $250,000 bail. The Sheriff’s Office has not said whether Chen is a suspect in other similar incidents.
“The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind residents that no government agency or bank will ever contact you and ask for personal identifying information or money,” SCSO said in a social media post. “This type of crime has been on the rise for years and criminals continue to find new ways to exploit victims.”