Here's how you can avoid financial scams, according to San Jose police

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Two financial crimes in San Jose have defrauded victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars and they have police urging caution to residents.

With a simple click of a mouse or answer of the phone, residents are getting deceived by criminals who end up stealing tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars from them.

A victim in San Jose thought they were paying an invoice for a business they are a client of - but that was not the case.

"The victim was reached out to by what they thought was an employee of the business," San Jose Police Dept. sr. public information representative Stacie Shih said. "They were given another bank account information to send a wire transfer of roughly $500,000."

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It's a scam known as a business email compromise. It's when a suspect hacks into a business email account and uses it to reroute payments into their personal account.



In January, San Jose police say their investigation found Pennsylvania resident Aleida Torres was the primary suspect for the scam.

Almost all of that money was recovered by police and returned, but an arrest warrant has still been issued for Torres as police search for other victims of this growing scam.

"This isn't just happening locally, but this is happening nationally and a lot of perpetrators are involved," Shih said. "So, suspect Torres is one of many who are behind this scam and a lot of them are also international."

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But it's hit home twice this year in San Jose.



Just this month, Liqun Fan was arrested and booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail after he allegedly defrauded an elderly victim to send $1,000 to an address in San Jose to fix a computer virus.

Police are urging caution to be on the lookout for scams.

"We want to remind businesses to be wary, be aware when conducting business and implement very strong cyber security protocols, procedures and practices," Shih said.

MORE: Bay Area man loses life savings, owes more than $30,000 in taxes after scam

SJPD says the best ways to avoid a scam are:

Block unsolicited communications.

Don't give up personal or financial information.

Resist pressure to act immediately.

Know scammer payment methods, such as gift cards, wire transfers or cash by mail.

Stop and talk to a trusted person, like law enforcement, if there is concern.

If you have been a victim of a financial crime, or have more information about Torres, you're asked to reach out to San Jose police.

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