How Police Got Back Life Savings For 70-Year-Old Cyber Scam Victim

PLEASANT HILL, CA — Pleasant Hill police have recovered most of the $350,000 stolen from a 70-year-old woman in a cryptocurrency investment scam, bringing a three-year investigation to a close. Police said the money, taken in 2022 after an online suspect persuaded the victim to invest her life savings, was traced to a digital wallet and returned to the woman and her family.

The case began in March 2022, when the woman reported that someone she met online, posing as a man, persuaded her to invest her life savings in a cryptocurrency scheme, according to police.

With help from U.S. Secret Service agents, Pleasant Hill Police Detective Stephen Vuong tracked the stolen cryptocurrency to an online wallet. Police said the wallet remained inactive for more than three years before being reactivated in September 2025.

Once the account was reactivated, Vuong froze and seized the funds. Police said the funds were then returned to the victim and her family on Dec. 30, 2025.

“This is an excellent example of good police work yielding a very positive outcome,” Police Chief Scott Vermillion said in a statement. “We are happy to be able to return these funds to the victim.”

Police advise residents to be cautious of online investment offers and to protect personal and financial information. Report suspected scams to Pleasant Hill Police at (925) 288-4600.