Three Chinese international students have recently been sentenced for their involvement in a large-scale computer “pop-up” scam targeting elderly individuals in the United States. The total amount involved in this fraudulent ring exceeds ten million dollars.
According to a statement released on the official website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on October 30, the Chief Judge of the Federal District Court, Matthew W. Brann, sentenced the three Chinese nationals last week.
Yankun Jiang, aged 26, received a sentence of 84 months in prison and is required to pay restitution of over $1.26 million to the victims.
Another student, Lei Bao, aged 24, was sentenced to 30 months of imprisonment and must compensate approximately $378,000.
Lastly, 26-year-old Hanlin Yang was sentenced to 24 months, with restitution set at around $400,000.
All three individuals were in the United States on student visas. Jiang and Yang resided in State College, Pennsylvania, while Bao lived in New York City.
The prosecution indicated that the fraudulent scheme took place between August 2023 and February 2024.
The scam ring initiated contact through deceptive computer pop-ups, falsely alerting seniors that their computers or bank accounts had been compromised. This manipulation lured them into withdrawing money to hand over to impostors posing as federal law enforcement officers, all under the pretext of “protecting their assets.”
Subsequently, the scam artists dispatched individuals to the victims’ homes, where they posed as federal agents to collect large sums of cash.
More than 50 victims across 19 states fell prey to this operation, with total losses in excess of $10 million.
The prosecution revealed that Jiang initially started as a “cash collector” but later advanced to a supervisory role within the scam, where he was primarily responsible for gathering stolen money from other collectors, packaging it, and coordinating its transfer to accomplices in Los Angeles, California.
Bao took on the role of collector multiple times, transporting at least five suitcases filled with cash from Philadelphia in Pennsylvania to Los Angeles.
Yang was reported to have visited at least six victims’ homes to collect cash as well.
In July 2025, a federal grand jury indicted these three individuals, along with five other Chinese nationals, on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. All eight persons involved were studying in the United States on student visas.
The case was investigated jointly by the FBI’s Philadelphia office and the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Lloyd headed the prosecution.
U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller stated in the announcement that these fraudsters preyed upon the most vulnerable members of society. He emphasized that the sentences reflect the prosecutor’s office’s commitment to protecting elderly victims and pursuing offenders under the law.
Nathan Abel, the special agent in charge of the Philadelphia office of Homeland Security Investigations, remarked that such scams not only result in financial loss but also undermine the victims’ sense of safety and confidence.
Wayne A. Jacobs, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia office, affirmed that efforts will continue in collaboration with law enforcement partners to shield seniors from fraud.