Chinese National Accused of Defrauding the Elderly

ST. LOUIS – A man from China has been indicted and accused of taking $95,000 from a 79-year-old Missouri woman who was victimized by scammers.

Dongyi Guo, 27, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on May 8 with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He pleaded not guilty Monday. 

The indictment says the conspirators contacted elderly victims via telephone calls and electronic messages and tricked them into turning over cash. Couriers such as Guo were paid to pick up the cash from their victims, the indictment says.

Guo was arrested after scammers contacted a 79-year-old woman in Knox County, Missouri, claiming in multiple conversations to be representatives of financial institutions and the Social Security office, the indictment says. They told her that her accounts had been compromised and she needed to pay cash to prevent her money from being stolen, the indictment says.

Guo collected $40,000 from the victim on March 4, another $35,000 the next day and $20,000 on March 6, the indictment says. He was arrested on March 7 trying to take another $15,000, it says.

The conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt.  Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting and provide resources and referrals. Reporting frauds can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available. The Federal Trade Commission also provides a hotline at 877-FTC-HELP and a website at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov to receive consumer complaints.