A "twisted" plot to swindle a Ventura senior out of $75,000 came to a screeching halt when Yanwen Gu and Shaohua Sun walked straight into a police trap.
The nightmare began on March 18, 2026, when a local senior received a fraudulent text message disguised as an Apple Store confirmation. When he called the number provided, scammers convinced him that his bank accounts were linked to a child exploitation investigation in Canada.
Terrified and misled, the man was instructed to withdraw $25,000 in cash and hand it over to a "purported undercover officer" using a secret code phrase.
The victim complied, but after the exchange, he and his spouse realized they had likely been defrauded and contacted the Ventura Police Department (VPD).
The scammers got greedy the very next day. While VPD detectives were interviewing the victim at his home on March 19, the fraudsters led by a caller identifying herself as "Jade" contacted him again, this time demanding an additional $50,000. Detectives pounced on the opportunity, coordinating a sting operation where the victim scheduled a second meeting.
When Yanwen Gu, 40, of Rosemead, approached the victim to collect the second bag of cash, detectives moved in and took her into custody after she accepted the "code phrase."
Her accomplice, Shaohua Sun, 39, of Monterey Park, was also arrested nearby while acting as a lookout.
Both Gu and Sun have been charged with multiple felonies, including conspiracy to commit grand theft and attempted grand theft. They are currently being held at the Ventura County Jail on a massive $500,000 bail. In a rare move, the court has granted a motion to vet any bail money they provide to ensure it does not come from stolen criminal proceeds.
As the Ventura County District Attorney's Office continues its prosecution, investigators are looking for additional victims who may have been targeted by this Rosemead-based duo.