Woman hands over $17,500 to alleged scammer who showed up at her NC home: 'You have to get cash'

ORANGE COUNTY, N.C. — A North Carolina woman was scammed out of more than $17,000, and she’s not alone, as investigators say it was all part of a large scam operation that took thousands of dollars from victims in several counties around the Triangle.

In this case, the scammers were able to print from her printer and even came to her house in person to collect the cash. The Orange County victim says, “Every morning I wake up and I’m like, I just want this nightmare to go away.”

The woman, who asked us not to name her or show her face for fear of being targeted again, but says she wants to share her heartache in hopes of preventing this scam from happening to someone else.

It started when she was on her computer, trying to log in to her bank account.

“I put in my password and username and got to the website, but it wouldn’t let me open my accounts,” she said.

She grabbed her cell phone and said she dialed the number saved in her phone for her bank.

She said the representative said, “Oh, your accounts have been frozen.” She asked why and said he told her there was a suspicious charge from PayPal from the day before. She says she was transferred to what she thought was the PayPal fraud department, but the call quality was so bad that she ended the call and called a Florida number back.

It’s unclear how she got that Florida number. On the line with them, she says she was told the charge was for $82, and he said he could refund her, but she had to follow his instructions, which included downloading several things on her computer.

“I typed $82, and I immediately looked up to the screen and it says, $18,000, and then it goes, accept, accept, accept, just like that.” She said she was panicking and said to the man walking her through, “That’s not what I typed in, that’s a mistake.”

At the time, she did not know she gave the man on the phone with her access to her computer and at first glance she says it looked like an extra $18,000 was deposited into her account, in reality, which she didn’t know at the time is that the scammer just transferred the money from her savings to checking.

She says he told her now, “What you have to do to fix it is you have to get cash, go to your bank and get cash.” Hesitant to follow his instructions, but she says this letter, with the Bank of America logo, came out of her printer, stating there’s a serious matter concerning your account.

The letter stated there was an unresolved tax issue related to a personal transaction from PayPal. As a result, online account transfers are temporarily blocked by the IRS. The letter goes on to state that they have not notified your local branch, and it’s crucial you refrain from discussing this transaction with them; doing so may lead to freezing or seizing all of your funds in your account.

The woman’s caller ID shows that the call with this person lasted more than four hours. She adds, “He kept saying, don’t hang up on me.”

As she continued to stay on the phone with the scammer, she drove to her bank and withdrew $17,500, as she says the man told her she could keep $500.00 for her troubles. At the bank, when she withdrew the cash, she says that the bank manager came over and said, “He said, before we proceed, are you being harassed?”

She said she replied, “I’m like, no, I’m not being pressured, I didn’t know I was being scammed.” She says she even signed a document saying she was taking this money out under her own free will.

After getting the money, she continued to follow the caller’s instructions, drove home, and printed another letter from her printer, this one thanking her for returning the funds to PayPal, and a Mr. Jack has been assigned to collect the cash.

Not long after, her doorbell camera catches this man coming to her door to pick up the cash. She handed over the cash, thinking the ordeal was over, and called her daughters to tell them about her long day. She says before she could get this story out of my mouth, her daughter said, “Mom, you’ve been scammed.”

She did call the police to report the scam, and at first, she thought she was the only victim, until she saw his mugshot, Linghui Zheng. She says it’s the same guy who came to her door, and she handed over her $17,500.

Zheng is charged with obtaining property under false pretenses in her case, and he, along with another suspect, is also facing charges in Person, Durham, and Granville counties of obtaining property under false pretenses, accessing computers, and felony conspiracy.

The sheriff says they’re currently working with NC SBI and the Department of Homeland Security to identify more victims and suspects, and while the total amount of money scammed is unknown at this time, he says it’s close to $400,000.

The Orange County victim says, “It never occurred to me that there was going to be an evil person come into my life.” The financial loss is devastating as a large chunk of the money gone is money she says is from an insurance policy to pay her medical bills when she fought cancer last year.

She adds, “What I want people to know is, you know, if just because you’re tired that they don’t let you, don’t let your defenses down.”

Despite catching the suspect, the woman says investigators told her that it does not appear she will get her money back, as much of it was gone by the time the suspects were arrested.

The suspects are still behind bars at the Person County Detention Center, and investigators say the Department of Homeland Security has detainers in place.

When it comes to the victim’s bank, Bank of America, a representative told the Troubleshooter that they are investigating the case and are unable to comment until their investigation is complete.

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