Hudson Valley Cops Pose as Elderly Lady to Trap Alleged Scammer

An elderly New York woman who was scammed into emptying her bank account got sweet revenge after police helped her set a trap for the accused con artist.

A Town of Wallkill woman was sitting at home the day before Valentine's Day when she received an email from someone who claimed to be working for PayPal.  The 77-year-old says she was led to believe that she had an outstanding invoice with the online payment company and was directed to call them on the phone to clear things up.

After dialing the number in the email, the senior citizen says she was transferred to a man who claimed to be an employee of the Federal Trade Commission. The alleged scammer told the resident that her bank account was likely hacked and, in order to be safe, she should empty all of the funds and turn them over to the FTC.

While many Internet-savvy people have probably noticed some huge red flags with this story, the 77-year-old woman did not have her suspicions raised and agreed to meet the man later in the day.

After draining her bank account of $30,000, the senior citizen met up with the fake FTC agent at the parking lot of Stewart's Shops on Tower Drive in Middletown and handed over her savings for "safe keeping".

The next day, after receiving another phone call from the phony agent, the Town of Wallkill woman began to suspect that something was not right. After looking up the actual number for the FTC, her hunch was confirmed as officials broke the news that she had been scammed.

Not knowing what to do, the elderly woman called the Town of Wallkill Police who were not only sympathetic but willing to help her catch the person they believed was behind the scam.

Detectives coached the woman in more conversations with the suspected criminal, eventually agreeing to hand over an additional $20,000. After making plans to meet at the Stewart's parking lot later that evening, an undercover officer disguised themself as the old woman and successfully fooled the suspected scammer who was quickly taken into custody.

The alleged con artist was identified as Caiduan Li from Brooklyn. The man was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny in the third degree, which is a class D felony. He was then taken into custody by Homeland Security.

Li is scheduled to appear in Town of Wallkill Court on March 5. Police are asking anyone else who believes they may have been scammed by the Brooklyn man to call Town of Wallkill Detectives at (845) 692-6757.