Three individuals were arrested in connection with extortion schemes involving fraudulent email scams that targeted local residents, as reported by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The first two arrests occurred on May 2 in Genoa, where Junyan Wu, 22, and Lirui Diao, 21, were apprehended while attempting to collect money from a homeowner. (22-year-old Junyan Wu, of Alhambra, California, and 21-year-old Lirui Diao, of Monterey, California, were the two people arrested in Genoa.) They face charges including extortion, obtaining money by false pretenses, conspiracy, and exploitation of the elderly, with bail set at $100,000 each. Their immigration status is under review by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A third suspect, 45-year-old Quan Fu Ma, was arrested on May 7 in the Gardnerville Ranchos area, also under similar circumstances. Ma, a naturalized U.S. citizen, has been charged with extortion, exploitation of the elderly, and conspiracy, with bail set at $52,509.
The arrests stemmed from a joint investigation involving the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Tri-Net Narcotics Task Force. Authorities highlighted that these scams often start with deceptive emails resembling communications from Microsoft or notifications of unsolicited services, escalating to threats if payment is not made.
To further protect the community from such scams, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a free Senior Scam Seminar on May 9 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Douglas County Community & Senior Center in Gardnerville, co-hosted with the Better Business Bureau. This seminar aims to educate residents on recognizing and avoiding scams that specifically target seniors.
