Woman Hands Over $39K After Call, Known Will County Scammer Caught With It: Sheriff

NEW LENOX, IL — A California man has been arrested and charged in connection with a fraud incident that nearly cost a woman $39,000 last week, the Will County Sheriff's Office said Monday.

On Friday, June 20 at approximately 5:30 p.m., Will County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to the 15600 block of Spencer Road in reference to suspicious activity involving a possible fraud. While en route, deputies were advised that a white SUV connected to the incident was parked at Lincoln-Way West High School. Deputies responded to the location and conducted an investigatory traffic stop.

The SUV was occupied by a single individual, later identified as 29-year-old Liwei Deng, a Chinese national residing in California. At the same time, deputies at the Spencer Road address spoke with the victim, who reported being scammed earlier that day.

According to the victim, she received an email around 11 a.m. from what appeared to be an identity protection service, alerting her to a fraudulent charge on her business account. The email included a phone number, which the victim called. The person on the line convinced her to allow remote access to her computer under the pretense of issuing a refund, the sheriff's office said. The victim was then instructed to withdraw a large sum of money from her bank, place the cash into a tan envelope, and wait for a courier to arrive at her home. She was also provided a passcode that the individual collecting the package would use to verify their identity.

A short time later, a man arrived at the residence on foot, provided the passcode, and was handed the envelope containing approximately $39,000 in cash. After the individual left, the victim and a family member became suspicious and contacted the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

Through photographic evidence and witness statements, deputies were able to confirm that Liwei Deng matched the description of the individual who picked up the envelope. A search of the SUV revealed the tan envelope with approximately $37,000 still inside. An additional large sum of cash was found on Deng’s person.

Deng was taken into custody and transported to the Will County Adult Detention Facility. He has been initially charged with theft of by deception (more than $5,000), victim over the age of 60, and theft by deception, amount $10,000 to $100,000.

Deng is known to law enforcement agencies and there have been numerous similar incidents across Will County and the State of Illinois which are currently under investigation, the sheriff's office said.